In Woods Of God-realization Vol.4

God-Realization

O R

Gomplete WorksbfSwamiRama Tirtha,

VOLUME IV.

COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS

AND

HOW TO REALIZE IT.

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THE RAMA TIRITHA PUBL1CATIC»N LEAGOF..

LirOKNOW, ir. P , INDIA.

CENIKAl ARCHAEOLOGIGAI
, LTOaRY. NEW JLtHI.

Acc. No.

Date

■- ' ★

PRINTED BY

Lekh Ram Varnja, Advocataj Receiver,
SHUKLA PRINTING PRESS.
I.UCKNOW.

Table of Contents

Paob.

Preface

.... i

Foreword

iv

Reminissence and Appreciation •• '

xvii

Lectures ’ " I

,1. The Path of Truth i'-- ^

2. The Goal of Religion _ ;-^9

<. True spirituality and the Psychic Powers . ... 01

y 1* The Spiritual Law of Character ... 79

T). The Kingdom of Heaven ... ... 94

The Sacred Syllable OM ... n<)

7. God Within .... .... .... 129

H.

Questions and Answers

147

c

1),

Is a Particular Society Needed ? ....

.... 168

10.

The Brotherhood of Man

.... 190

V/

IL

Hints to Reafeation Nos. II and III

225

12.

Fragments

.... 2B8

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

TO THe SIXTH EDITION.

We are glad to publish the 4th volume of
the 6th edition of Swami Rama’s Complete
Works, “In Woods of God Realization”. There
has been no change in this Volume except
that the portions of the Note-Books suffixed
to the previous edition have been deleted, as
those portions form a part of the Note- Books
published in two separate volumes. Besides
this, the President’s Foreword has been pre-
fixed to this volume. It gives its gist in a
nut-shell. Particular attention has been paid
not to make any addition to or alteration in
the original text.

It is hoped that the public will leave n^
stone unturned to push on its publication far,
and wide as this volume is the essence of
Swami Rama’s Teachings.

R. a SINHAr
Honorary Secretary.

^3rd May 1941. >

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

TO THE 5TH EDITION.

We have great pleasure in placing before
the public the . fourth volume of the new
series pf the' Complete Works of Swami Rama,
VIn Woods of God Realization.”

This volume was expected to be out in
April, buc owing to circumstances beyond our
control, the work had to be delayed by a
few months.

There has been no change in the contents
and plans of the book from the one already
proposed and advertised.

It is expected to bring out the fifth volume
within the current year as early as possible,
and the remaining two in the course of the
dext year.

. How quickly we are able to do this de-
pends upoh the response that we receive from
the public in requisitioning these invaluable
works.

Rama’s soul up-lifting teachings are too
welt known now to need any introduction.
The difficult problems of Vedanta put in easy

PUBLISHEE’S NOTE iii

and every day language is the oharacteristie
of his works.

These teachings coming out, as they do,
from the heart of a realized soul like that of
Swami Rama, "cannot but go direct into the
hearts of the reader, for in his own words that
‘which comes from the heart goes direct to
the heart and that which comes from the
brain goes only to the brain.’

In conclusion, I only hope that the truth
of these words will be fully realized by the
readers of these volumes.

May the blessings of Swarui Rama pour
profusely over one and all.

\ B. P. BHATISIAG'AR,
Lucknow, ( Honorary Secretary,

July 1031. r The Rama Tirtha Publication
' . League.

FOREWORD

Prakash is glad to place in the hands of
the public, this 6th Edition of Vol. IV of
Swami Rama’s immortal works, “In Woods of
God Realization.” This volume that deals
with ‘ Cosmic Consciousness and how to
realize it” may safely be called the essence of
Rama Badshah’s teachings as the 2nd chapter
of the Divine Songs is the essence of Bhagwan
Krishna’s teachings, or as “ the Dhamma
Pad ” and “ the Sermon on the Mount ” are
the essences of the teachings of Lords Buddha
and Christ, respectively.

This volume is divided into 14 parts, and
every part leaves no stone unturned to play
its part full well.

, It begins with the Path of Truth and ends
on the Brotherhood of man^ “ which ” accord-
ing to Rama Badshah “ is a misnomer

because the word brother applies some diffe-
rence but here there is not the least room for
any difference,” It is oneness or unity^ that is
the goal of humanity. Oh, what a j oy it
brings to us when we feel this oneness not

rOEBWOKD

V

only on the plane of spiritaality biit on the
physical, the mental and the psychological
planes as well. How do we reach at this goal
is beautifully explained in this volume.

2. Your realization of Divinity is not a
thing to be achieved, as you are that already.
You have simply to undo what you have done,
to undo your snares which are the chains that
■bind you. All your attachments, hatreds and
desires are these shackles and chains. To
entertain desires is to acknowledge bondage
and slavery of the things of the world, flesh
objects. Every body desires to become
Christ. Every one wants to realize Truth,
but very few of you are ready to pay the
price. You will have to part with your
debasing and degrading yearnings, dearest
wants and attachments. In order to get the
whole truth, you must get rid of wordly
desires. Unless you pay the price you can-
not realize the truth. Pure you will have to
make yourself. Tliis purity is price. Purity
does not mean only abstaining from conjugal
sins but it also means making yourself free of
all .clingiugs to the objects of the world,

wi IN WOODS OF ■.GOD-KBALIZATION

whether- it is ! attachment to property, or to-
person, to your i body or even to your life.
Life is the price you must pay for God Oou-
sciousnese. Die to the world then you live.
You feel your .liver and spleen when they are
.out of order, so wlien you feel your perso-
nality, there is something wrong in you.
Be above the superstition of this body; the
whole world will then be your body and yoti
will have realization. Look at the world
from the observatory of Atman through the
telescope of Divine wisdom, you will then see
nothing but Divinity, that you are.

3. The Divinity that is your true Self is
neither doer nor enjoyer^ hence it remains
unaffected. The doer oi agent is the apparent
or individual self,, that is not real like the
image of the Siin in water. This apparent self
is also an image of the Sun of Divinity in the
waters of SuTcshma Sharir or, subtle body, that
is made up of mind, intellect and emotions etc.
A rope , appears a snake and is apparently
called the supporter and upholder of the
snake but in reality it is not so, because the
jsnake does not exist at all. Similarly the-

j

<■ I

Divinity or thereat Self is apparently. th(^
Supporter or upholder of the world from the
stand point of intellect and the reasoning self,
which is, in illusion yet, but in reality * itfis
not so, as actually this world does not exist
like the Serpent. You have the illusion pf
the world by the abuse of your desires. Set
them aright. The world that is meum and
tunm exists no more. This apparent, little or
individual self is not real, as it does not exist
separate from the real Self. It is one with
the Real or Universal Self. This individual
self has forgot that it is one with the Uni-
versal Self or Divinity ; hence it has no rest
and “This restlessness is world or Sansarj
No sooner we' give it up than free we are.’’
It is this ignorance that blocks our way from
realization. Lack of faith to our oneness
with God is ignorance. To forget our false self
is to remember nay to get or realize our real
Self; hence io forget is to get. In other words
to forget our real self is ignorance, Maya or
Moh; and to remember our real Self is realiza-
tion or Smaran, pn which great stress is given
in the religious world. It is this an^

Tiii IN WOODS OP GOD-EEALIZATION

Smaran that have been referred to by Arjuna
of yore, on his realization, in his last words of
the Dialogue that is called by the name of
the ^‘Divine Songs, that still resouiid in our
reasons ears passing through the vestas of
fifty centuries or more: —

JTSr Jftf: I

vie.

Moh or delusion has been off and./Smn/i or
recollection vis Consciousness (of my real
Self) has been gained by me through Thy
grace 0 Immutable!

{Bhagwai Gita XVIII — 73 a.

4. To forget our real Self is spiritual
weakness. To get rid of this weakness we
should have strength in all the physical,
mental and spiritual realms, The Ignorance
■of the Common laws of Nature js at the
bottom of all weakness and disease. You
may gain realisation this very moment, if you
get rid of attachment and its counter-part
hatred and jealousy, as they are inverted
attachment. How? By sacrificing every
thing at the altar of one Truth that is your
real Self or Divinity. Have more respect for

FOEEWOED

IX

Truth than for your relatives and friends.
Nay, love Truth more and victory less, A
man wakes up from the dream of the world
when he is bit by the snake of renunciation.,
which precedes Knowle ige or Jnana that leads
us to realization. Kealization me lus setting
to this new tune all your old songs. Look at
this world from an entirely new stand point
of God Consciousness. In the beginning the
path of Truth seems to be very narrow and
sharp, but when you come out victorious over
the ordinary temptations you will find the
path to be wonderfully beautiful and exceed-
ingly easy, you will- find the whole Nature
helping you and every thing standing on your
side, as an English adage runs that “The
wind and wave are always for the bravff.” A
man of realization is a whole man as he has
no desire, because every desire chops out a
part of one’s body. Thus Vedanta does not '’
preach inactivity nor is it pessimistic. It
leads you to the way of conducting yourself to
keep the whole world under your control. Thus
Jivan MuJita is a marvellous reformer who
makes the stumbling blocks into the stepping

3E IN WOODS, OF-^GOD-EBALIZATION

stones and thup shows jbhat Evolution take&
place not, only through str.uggle and, way but
mostly through love, character and attraction..

6. How to. get rid of all desires; olingings^
attachments and hatreds etc ? Chant OM and
then think who it is witJiin you. It is^ your
real Self that is not an individual but is the
Universal Self. Take up. your work of duty
with, no notice or ,desire on your part, it will
not then be a burden upon you but it will
relieve j'ou of all anxieties and fears and, will
lead you to realization, that is the goal of
religion.

6, All religion is simply an attempt to-
linveil ourselves and to explain our Self. All
the - religious sects in this world may be
branched under three principal headings : —
vis. I Am HIS, Here God ia
far away from us and the curtain is
the thickest,

(m) w. I AM THINE, Here the

curtain is thinner and God is nearer,
(w) vk. I AM THOU. The cur-

tain is here thinnest and God is
nearest. This is the highest devo-

■li’OREWOED • . ' xi

• tioii and the final stage of religious
development; It is. called the Fe-
danta which means the “End of
Knowledge,’’ and is the goal of re-
ligion.

“The refining of the creed vis. thinning
the curtain comes chiefly through intellect and
the lifting., of the' veil is effected through
feeling. People in the elementary stage can
often rise to the greatest heights, if they are
sincere and earnest. This religious spirit
leads us from the lowmr to the higher stage
of development •wdrether in this birth or the
next. When we reach the highest develop-
ment which is “J am Ood'' there are then
no births. Man is then free and is one with
Divinity.”

7. The Pravriti Marga or the Path' of
Action, which aims at the accumulation of
personal powers,' does not lead us to this
realization; though it is natural for every
body to pass through it, at a particular stage
of development. It is NivriU Marga or tlie
path of Renunciation that leads us to the
goal. Hence we should not expect perfect.

xii IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION

Bliss by treading the path of action viz. the
Pravriti Marga. A Scientist who makes won-
derful discoveries as to steam and electricity,
-an empirical philosopher, who extends our
knowledge regarding operation of the mind,
intellect, feelings and emotions, a Spiritualist
who communicates with the departed souls
and knows much about the next world and
a Hath-Yogi who undergoes a long samadhi
and having developed his psychic powers
fihows wonderful miracles to us deserve our
respects but we should not go to them for
the perfect Bliss, for all of them are on the
Praviiti Marga or the path of worldliness.
Worldliness is after all worldliness, whether
it belongs to this world or the next. Every
one of them may be a Divine or Holy man,
but it is not necessary that he should be so.
Just as every mathematician is not a Vedanti,
but a mathematician may be a Vedanti as
Rama was.

All the extraordinary powers that you
are in possession of bind you just as much as
any possession or property binds you. Chains
are chains, whether they are of iron or of

TOEBWOED xUli

gold. Get rid of these chains and you are
free.

In the case of the most people concentra-
tion is simply the snake of mind coiled
around and cold-stricken. As soon as the
idea of relatives, friends and foes comes in,,
it rouses it up to do mischief again by its
poisonous fangs of desires. Thus take out
its fangs and teeth of desires and ignorance by
charming it. It then becomes toothless Be-
danti and makes you a Vedanti and

builds up your character that is proof against
all troubles. Seek the Path of knowledge or
Renunciation viz. the Nivriti Marga, then all
thje powers will follow you as all the subordi-
nates seek you yrhen you seek the king first.

8. In order to build up your character,
chant the mystic syllable OM. Its origin, its
meanings and its efficacies are beautifully
explained in this volume. While chanting
OM, put your whole heart into it and trample,
all your weakness and all your temptations-
under your feet; rise above them and come out
yictorious, E^ter deep into .the lake of your;
own mind; and reaching the bottom, fight the;.

Siv' IN WOODS oi* aOD-EBALIZATION

VeDooaotis dragon, the poisonous snake of pas-
sion, desire and worldly mind. You have to
crush it down, to destroy its crests to kick
down- its many heads and to charm and dest-
roy it. You must make clear the lake of mind
tiiis way. Then your heart will be pure by
being emptied of yourselves or non-self; and
by turning your mind to Divinity you will
then be the flute on the lips of Lord Krislina.
It is to give up all claims upon the body, all
selfishness and all selfish connections. In this
state of mind chant OM. This is putting the
breath of music into the flute. Make your
whole life a flute. Make your whole body a
flute. Empty it of selfishness and fill it with
Divine breath. It is then when your charac-
ter will be formed. Let people differ from
you; let them subject yon to all sorts of diffi-
culties, but despite their favours and frowns,
■their threats and promises from the lake of
your mind should flow nothing but divine,
infinitely pure fresh nectar. When the dragon
of passion is destroyed you will find the ob-
jects of desire worshiping you just as the
wives of the dragon under river paid homage

FOfiEWOED ' ■ XV-

'linto Krishna after he had killed the snakie.
The practical method, ' to trample the Bins
under your feet or to gain victory over them
is taught in this volume by keeping a diary
in the form of a diagram. It is also taught
therein how to chant OM and to practise
pranayama at the same time. The lecture on
“Is a particular society needed” should also
be studied carefully. It is not all. All what
is essential for realization is taught in this
volume by the Great Teacher of the world
who was known as Rama Badshah.

9 — Prakash cannot conclude this note
without shedding light on how this agent idea
is got rid of by the false, little ego or the
apparent self in order to realize its oneness
■with the real Self or Divinity, that is the goal
of religion or humanity. The image of the
real Self, seen in' the water of sukshma sharir
, or subtle body, is the little individual self, as
has been stated above, It suffers because it
-does. To get rid of all sufferings, it has to
get rid of the idea of doing or agency. This
idea cannot be removed unless it" realizes its
areal Self. ,In other words it is to realize that

xvi IN WOODS OF GOD-EIALIZATION

its apparent self is false and not real. When
the water in a vessel is changed into gas the'
reflection of the Sun does no more fall there-
on, so let the water of subtle body be conver-
ted into, the gaseous state by the ' heat and
light of the Sun of the real Self or Divinity,,
then it will no more reflect its image thereon.
By the disappearance of the image the idea
of agency does also disappear. The more'
is the mental water changed into the spiritual
gas, the more is an individual self turned
, into the Universal Self. By turning water
into gas is meant expanding one’s self by
means of love and not attachment. Love is-
free from all selfishness and expands him.
who entertains it to infinity. When we. love
the whole Universe, we then realize “The
whole world is my home : and humanity my
brotherhood,” May these words help the
readers in studying this volume, is the earnest,
prayer of

. ™AOTI PEAKASH.

REMINIS3EN0E

By

Rai Bahadue Lala Baij Nath, B.A.

[Three Modern Indian Reformers.]

“ , , , The third great man whom 1 have
intimately known and worked with, waat’
Swami Rama Tirtha, M.A. of the Punjab, one
of those good and noble souls who appear
amongst men at rare intervals to set example
of realization of the loftiest aspirations of the-
soul. Starting with nothing and coming from,
a family of orthodox Brahmans in the Guj-
ranwala district in the Punjab, the Swami at
the age of 20 or 21, distinguished himself
in the University of the Punjab where he
took his M.A. degree in Mathematics. He
was then made a Professor in the Forman
Christian College, Lahore, but soon gave up-
the post and renounced all connections of
family and friends, simply for the realization
of the truth of the great saying of the
Upanishad — That art thou (Tat twam asi). With
a book of the Upanishad under his arm, the
birds and the beasts of the forest and the

' XTiii ] IN WOODS or god-ebalization.

clear waters of the Ganges in the Hionalayas
ior his conapahions, braving heat and cold
and all the dangers of the jungle, this young
man wanders about for years together devot-
ing himself to the deepest meditation on the
problems of life, now going up the Kailash
mountain, now journeying to Amarnath in
Kashmir, now visiting Jamnotri, the source
■of the Jumna now the Gangotri the source
of the Ganges, now sitting for days together
in contemplation on the banks of the river,
■and when he could not reach the object of his
search, even throwing himself bodily into
it to be washed off on a rock, almost oblivious
of the world around him. Having at last
realized the object of his search thro.ugh
meditation at the. age of 29, he comes down
•amongst men ready to devote himself to the
■service of India, and lectures to thousands of
people of all creeds and nationalities, carry-
ing them all along with him simply through
his earnestness and charming personality.
Entirely unmindful of personal ease or com-
fort, he eats the simplest fare that comes in
his way, and never keeps with him anything

APPEBOIATION.

[xix

beyond the barest necessaries of life. Gifts
of money or clothes or other things are no
sooner made than given away to others.
Tasteful, dishes offered by loving admirers
are shunned, on the plea that plain living
and high thinking are the lob of those who
aspire to lead a life of truth.

There is no assertion of Superiority, no
arrogance of manner, no consciousness of
greatness. Every one who comes in contact
with the Swami is charmed with his smiles,
and feels all sorrow and trouble gone, as if it
were, from him for the nonce. - There was
such an intense devotion to study that a
whole library of books on religion and philo-
sophy of the West was mastered in a short
time. The Rishis of the Upanishadas, Vyasa,
Krishna, Shankara, Buddha, were, as much
at his fingers’ ends as Shams Tabrez and Mau-
lana Rum. Kant, Schopenhauer, Fichte and
Hegel were as familiar authors as Kabir and
Nanak. The Swami’s forte was however Urdu
poetry, and his verses here bid fare to become
■current amongst Indians like many other
standard shlokas of the Vedanta. In 1902 we

XX ] IN WOODS OF QOD-EBALIZATION.

find him going via Japan to America, where
in the space of two years he attracted many
persons of light and learning. The Manager
of the Great Pacific Railroad, America, in
offering him the Pullman-car, remarked that
his smiles were irresistible. In America he
was not content with receiving the homage
and worship of his admirers, but was up and
doing in the cause of India. His gospel was
one of work, incessant work. “The problem
before us is to perform the right kind of Yajna
(sacrifice) serving and saving the poor, and
to perform it in a way that the act, may not
defeat its own end. Let every inhabitant of
India feel towards all his juniors in rank,
wealth, knowledge or power, as his own
children to be helpeid by him, and without
an eye on reward, reap the mother’s supreme
luxury of utilizing the privilege to serve them
with the food of the soul, encouragement,
knowledge and love. This is the true
Nishkama Yajna.”

As he characteristically puts it .•■ —

“Wanted — Reformers

Not of others but. of themselves.

apprhciatiok.

[ xxi

Who have won —

„ Not Univ'ersity distinctions, but victory over
the local self.

Age- — The youth of Divine joy.

Salary: — Godhead.

Apply sharp—

With no begging solicitations but commanding
decision to the Director of Universe,

Your Own Self’’

The Swami returned to India after a couple
of years’ residence in the West, but with a
knowledge ol its pracfcical life which could
not have been acquired by any other person
even in twenty years. This knowledge he
freely laid at the leet of his countrymen in
his writings and speeches, and all that he
wrote or said bore the impress of the deep
scholar of the East with the practical man of
business of the West. The problem for India
to solve is “poverty of practical wisdom with
plenty of population.’’ This lack of practical
wisdotQ comprehends all the contempt of
manual labour, unnatural divisions of oast©
aud creeds, aversiou ta foreign travelling,
child-marriage and the general darkness.

xxii] IN WOODS 01 GOD-EBALIZATION.

intellectual and physical, enforced upon
women. “We cannot do without, our inheri.
tance from the forefathers. The society which
renounces it must be destroyed from withont..
Still less we can do with too much of it ; the
society in which it dominates must be des-
troyed from within A country is streng-

thened not by gieat man with small views,,

but by small men with great views An

average Indian home is typical of the state
of the whole nation; very slender means and
not only yearly rtultiplying mouths to feed,
but also slavishly incuring undue expenses

in meaningless and cruel ceremonies If the-

population problem is to be left unsolved, aM
talk about national unity and mutual amity
will remain” a dead letter. The remedy lies
in relinquishing thought of loss of caste or
religion by foreign travel. The notion that
entrance into heaven depends upon your
having children, must be given up. Marriage
must be made the sweet relation it was. Do
not unite to multiply unfit, incapable, worth-
less parasites in the land. “At the bayonet’s
point you have to aquire purity No heroisna

. APPEEOIATIOK. [ XXUB

without purity, uo union without purity, no-
peace without purity.” In the field of educa-
tion, the paramount duty before us is to
educate the poor and the women, to acquire a
knowledge of agriculture, arts and industries
in more advanced countries and to spreadi
that useful knowledge in India broadcast.
“Without keeping alive the flame of faith and
the torch of burning jnanam in your breast,

you cannot advance a single step.. ......To-

live at a deeper level of your nature than the
loquacious level, to sound the depths of your
being, to realize, feel and be the innate Reality
in you, which is also the innate reality in
Nature, to be a living personification of Tat
twain asi^ this is life, this is immortality.” No
teacher of religion, no social reformer has-
stated the problem and its solution more
clearly than the great Swaroi. The regret is*
that there are so few in India who realize
the truth of his sayings. After working for a
short time in the plains he retired to the'
Himalayas to devote himself to his usual
studies and contemplation and departed this*
life at the age of thirty-three, being drowned

I

xxiv ] IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

in the Granges near Tehri, as he had gone
there to bathe.

The essence of his teaching was the com-
bination of the philosophic wisdom of the
East with the practical wisdom of Japan and
America; “nob self-mortification, not inten-
tional prolonged self-slaughter, not utter
severance from the world, not unchecked in-
discriminate multiplication, not contentment
in ignorance and slavery, not unthinking,
enervating adoration of the past, and negli-
gence of present and the future, but the
■casting aside of the old heavy garments and
flinging of superstition.” This is the message
of the great sage, His influence did not die
with him. As each year goes by, it is slowly
and steadily permeating, not only our young
men, but also the Sadhu class who once
flespised and scoffed at him

APPRECIATION
By His Holiness Swami Ramdas
■of Anandashram, Eamanagar, P. 0. Kanhangod^

S. I. Railway.

Swami Rama Tirbha is a superman — a
world-figure. He has left an indelible im-
jpress upon mankind. He had reached the
highest spiritual summit. He lived, and
wrote over fixed in this supreme conscious-
ness. His life is redolent of a child-like free-
dom. His radiant personality captured hearts
of every one who came in his contact. He
held forth before the spell- bound audiences,
■the highest Vedantic truths, in the simplest
language. He appealed at once to the heart
and the head. He awakened in one, the
purest emotions, in another illuminating
■wisdom.

Blessed are those who had the rare privi-
lege of meeting him, talking and moving
with him. A personal touch of Mahatmas
like him is itself the final redemption of the
soul. His sweet nature, evident in his thril-
ling speeches, was capable of transforming

xxvi] IN WOODS OF GOD-RE ALTZITION.

and elevating human lives to the supreme
beautitude. You are fascinated by his teach-
ings. When you once take up his books,,
which are so loving made available to the
world by the Rama Tirtha Publication
League, Lucknow, you feel that you are-
caught in the grip of an enthrilling rapture.
You get shaken up to your very core when
you read the mode of his address to the
American audiences: — “Universe in the forme
of ladies and gentlmen”, “Myself in the form-
of ladies and gentlemen” His identity with
Grod and Universe was perfect. He was al-
ways found in a state of spiritual exaltation.
His life was a mass divine splendour, love-
and ecstasy. Pie poured himself out spont-
aneously all the spiritual wealth and power
that he contained, as the Sun does his ' all-
enveloping brilliance.

His characteristic reply to the question,,
“who are you?” is unforgettable. He said,.
‘‘I am God, so are you”, what a sublime vision ,
and experience ! He was the very personifi-
cation of Vedanta. He was a living image of
a divine revelation. He appears like a blaz-

APPREOIATIOir.

xxviii

ing meteor across the heavens, illuminating^
every corner of the earth. He proved by hia
lofty realisation that man is God and every-
thing is His animated manifestation. In offer-
ing him your tribute, you may exhaust all
superlatives and yet, Swatni Rama’s greatness’
which is unique, stands above all words.

His last words, “0, Heath take away this ,
body"’, shows how he had transcended all
limitatiens and was, to the last, conscious of
his infinity and immortality. He has pro-
duced a band of enthusiastic and enlightened^
disciples to hand down his message to the
present and succeeding generations. Of. these’
Sri R. S. Narayana Swami, was an outstand-
ing leader. Sri Narayana Swami, who entered
into Mahaaamadhi in 1937, has left a firm
foundation on which an abiding structure of
Swami Rama’s name and glory can stand for
ever.

The picture of Swami Rama shows how
sweet, magnetic and charming he wap. May
hia grace ever keep his devotees and disciples'
aware of their Godhood.

By Madan Mohan Goswami

Son of Goswami Tirtb Ram, M.A*

Since my mother (the only grand daugh-
ter of Dewan Mussadi Mai, a Minister of
Maharaja Banjit Singh) insisted on accom-
panying my revered father to the Jungles
for Tapasya, the following terms were offered
to her by him to enjoy th at privilege : —

(a) She should part with all her pro-
perty and donate the same to
charitable institutions.

(5) She should leave both of her sons
in a street under the care of God
Himself without asking any friend
or a relative to look after them.
If she could not do that and lack-
ed in her implicit faith in God,
she could not accompany him.

(c) She must realize that her carporal
husband was dead.

Mother having agreed to all this, we be-
came penniless in the worldly sense, When
the train was to steam off from the Lahore
Railway Station carrying “the would be

IN' WOODS Of OOD-EEALIZATION. [ xxix

Swamijee”, I was one of the siglit seers. The
Swamijee got into Samadhi in the first class-
railway compartment booked by his admirers.
Being lured of the nicety of the compart-
ment, I quietly hid self in the lavatory of
that compartment and thus bacame a passen-
ger of the train.

After the train was in motion, I revealed-
my presence to my parents, but no objection
was raised. On reaching Hard war I was
allowed two dhoties and our pilgrimage
started bare-footed, on two chapatis a day to
each of the party. I then realized the rigours
of God’s University. When we were crossing
the Ganges at Hardwar in a boat, father asked
mother out of lark, if she could permit the
offering of my younger brother (a three year
old baby) to Mother Ganges. She bowed to
his pleasure. The baby was touched to the
surface of the holy river and taken back..
The boy, who was suffering from typhoid
fever, was cured of it then and there. This
was one of the several miracles of my father
which I am an eye-witness of.

Cosmic Consciousness

AND

How TO REALIZE IT.

LECTURE 1.

THE PATH OP TRUTH

Lecture delivered on March 7, 1903.

The subject of to-riigLt’s (Rpconrpe, a»
announced in the pipers, is “The Path of
Truth.” This is a beadii g wriicii uiij?! t have
some meaning to the Western eare; but from
the Btand-pf'int of Vedanta, iliie is an errone-
ous title. The path to Truili oi tiie path of
Truth is a contradiction in terms. Tiuth ia
not distant. How can there lie a path to it
then ? Truth is with 3'ou alieadj’itis your
Self already, You are in it already, nay, you
are Truth. You are that. So it is wrong to
make use of the Words — Path of Truth Your
realization of God-consciousnes'r, reali2ation
of Divinity is not a thing to be accomplished^
it is not a ching to be achieved, it is not ft

IN WOOBS OP GOD-EBALIZAinON

thing to be dene, it is done already. You are
that already. Yon have simply to break
through the coooons of desires which imprison
you, you have simply to undo what you have
-dione. You have not to do any thing, in the
positive sense of the word, in order to realize
God, Simply undo what you have done in
the way of making your prison house, and
there you are God already, Truth personified
already. But this undoing of what has been
done is to some a very hard task, and thus
with reference to the path to Truth we shall
discuss the process of undoing. There is
flome effort to be made in undoing your snares.
What are: these snares, 'these chains and
shackles which bind you ? Your ears may
to-day appreciate it or not, the Americans
and Europeans may to-day mark the beauty
of this statement or not, the truth remains
there all the same. The truth is that all
your attachments, all your loves and hatreds,
all your desires are shackles and chains.
These bind you. These do not allow you to
see God. These are your prison-house. Your
desires bind you. You cannot serve two

THE PATH 01 TBUTH '

8

masters. You cannot serve Mammon and
God at the same time. You cannot be a slave
of the flesh and at the same time the master
of the Universe. To realize the Truth is to
become the master of the Universe, and to
entertain desires is to acknowledge bondage,
thraldom and slavery of the things of this
world, flesh objects. Everybody desires to
become Christ, everybody wants to realise
the Truth, to become a prophet, but very few,
if any, are ready to pay the price.

There was in East India a great wrestler
and athlete. He wanted a barber^ to tattoo
him, to engrave on his arm the picture of a
lion. He told the barber to paint a great,
magnificent lion on both his arms. He said
he was born when the sign of the^zodiac, the
Lion or Leo, was in Simha rashi bo he was
born under the right influence of the sign of
the zodiac — Lion, Leo, and he was supposed
to be a very brave man. The barber took up
the needle to paint or tattoo him, and just
when he was pricking a little, the athlete
could not bear it. He began to pant for

•The barbers do the work of battooing in

4

IN WOODS OD GOD EBALIZAOaON

breath and addressed the barber, "Wait,
wait, what are )oa going to do ?” Toe barber
said that he was going to draw the tail of the
lion. This fellow, in reality, could not stand
the pricking sensation, but made a veiy queer
pretence, and said, "Dc nT you know that
fashionable people cut off the tails of their
dogs and horses, and so that lion which has
no tail is considered a verp strong lion. Why
are you drawing the tail of the lion ? The
tail is not needed ” “All right.” said the
barber, “I won’t draw the tail. I will draw
the other parts of the lion.’’ The barber took
up the needle again, and just pricked it
through hif skin. This too the fellow could
not bear. He remonstrated and said, “What
are you going to do next?” The barber said,
“lam going to draw the ears of the lion.”
The man said again, “0 barber, you are very
foolish. Don’t you know the people cut off
the ears of their dogs ? Th^y don’t keep dogs
with long ears. Don’t you know that the lion
which is without ears is the beet ?” The
barber desisted. After a while the barber
took up his needle and was again pricking

TBB PATH OF TRUTH

&

him. The man could ne t bfar ife and remone-
trated, saying “What are you going to do now,
0 barber ?” The barber said, “I am going
to paint ,now the waist of the lion.” There
the man ea’d, “Haven’t you read our poetry,
haven’t j ou read the Bcoounts givf n by Indian
poets ? Lions are alwiys painted as having
a very small, thin, nominal wnst ? You
need not draw the waist of tlie lion.” The
barber now tlirew aside his colours and hia
painting needle and asked the fellow to go
away from his presence.

Here is a man who asser^a tbat he is
born under ibe inOiiei ce ol the sign of (he
zodiac; called tlie Simha rashi or Leo, Here
is a man w ho prete'iOa lo be a great wrestler,
a great atbleie; b^re is a man who calls
himself a lion. He wants lo have lions
tattooed all over nis body, but he cannot
bear the ^Bting of a needle. Such are the
majority of people who want to see God, who
want to realize Yedanta, vho want to know
the whole truth this moment, this second,
who want to accomplish everything, to be*
come Christ in half a minute. When the’

6 IN WOODS OF GOD-REALIZATION

time comes to get that lion — Truth —
painted in their souls, to get that lion of
Righteousness printed or tattooed in their
being, they cannot bear the sting, the sting-
ing sensation, there they hesitate. The price
1 will not pay, but the thing I want.

In order that you may reach the Truth
and realize the Divinity, your dearest wants
and desires will be pricked through and
through, your dearest wants and attachments
wil I have to be severed, all your favourite
superstitions and prejudices will have to be
wiped out, all your preconceived notions
will have to be torn aside. Free you will
have to become of all the debasing and
degrading yearnings, pure you will have to
make yourself. Purity, purity. Without
paying the price, you cannot reach God, you
cannot regain your own birthright. “Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.*’
And what is purity of heart ? Purity of
heart does not mean only abstaining from
conjugal sins, it means that, but it means a
great deal more. Whether you relish these
words today or not, you will have to relish

the path op truth

TV

them one day, you will have to come to the
same conclusion to day or to-morrow. The
oonclusioDL is that all attachment whether
it be the attachment to your house, your
clock, or your dog, let it be attachment to
any thing, father, mother or child, for a man
who aspires to the realization of Truth, for a.
man who wants to gain possession of the
whole Truth this moment, for a man of noble'
aspirations; it is just as degrading and weak-
ening as adultery. Purity of h^eart means
making yourself free of all clingings to the
objects of this world. Renunciation, nothing
short of it. Parity of heart means that..
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God. Gain this purity and you see God.

There is a very beautiful story in the
old mythology of Atlanta, They say that
every man who wanted to wed her had to run
a race with her. Nobody could get ahead of
her, but one person consulted his god Jupiter
and asked the advice of his favourite god as
to the way of outrunning Atlanta and
winning her. The god gave him a very queer
advice, He told this man to bestrew the path,

8 IN WOODS OP GOD-REALIZATION

alongf which had to run with gold bricks.
You know the god jnpiter could not help this
devotee of hia to outrun Altanta in any
■o’her way. This Atlanta had got from the
ihighesf. deitj” a bnou which made her the
strongest and swiftest being in the whole
Universe, But this devotee of Jupiter threw
gold brick-* all along the racecourse and
ehalleug-d Atlanta t > run a race with him.
Both began to run. ' This man was naturally
much we?iker than At'auta. She outran him
in one second, but as she had lost sight
of him, she saw gold britks lying along
the path and stopned to pick them up,
'While she was picking up the gold bricks,
that devotre went aliead other. Thereafter a
minute or so she over tor k him again and
.again saw to the left of the race-cr urse,-
another brick. She went to pick up that
brick and got it. In tlie meantime that
-devotee of Ju[)iter went ahead of her and
after a while she ge t him tigain, and there
-she lound some more grid bricks. She
8tof)pr*d to }iick up those,- in the meantime
that fellow outran iier and bo on. Towards

5

THE PATH OP TRUTH

9

the close of the race, Atlanta bad with
her a very heavy load of gold. It was very
difficult for her to carry it and also outrun
him. Finally that man got the better of Atlanta
who was won. All the gold that Atlanta had
got also fell to the share of the man who
outran her, it, wert to him, and she herself
went over to that man. He got evr>rythiug.

Such is the way with niout people who
want to tread the path of Righteousness and
the path ol Truth. When 3 ou commence to
tread the path of Truth, yon find all sorts of
base lucre and worldly temptations around
you. Y *u stoop to pick them up, but the
moment you do so and enjoy these worldly
temptations aid eijot ments, you fiid yrtu
are lagging brhind. You are losing the race,
procrastinatirg, making y ur paih dreary,
and losing every thing. Beware of worldly
attachment and materiality. You cannot
reach the Truth and also enjoy worldly
pleasures. The saying goes that if you
enjoy the Ti utb, ycu will no longer be able
to enjoy worldly pleasures. Eujoy worldly
pleasures and Truth will elude your gras] , get

10

IN WOODS OF GOD-BEALIZATION

ahead of you. Rama ie telling you th&
Truth to-day. So many people come to Rama
and flay to him over and over again that they
want realization. You may gain realization
this moment. Get rid of attachment and at
the same time shake off all hatred and
jealousy. What ia jealousy, what is hatred ?
It is inverted attachment. When we hate
somebody, it is because we are attached to
BomethiDg else. Here you will ask how you
are to get rid of your sons, brothers and
husbands etc. Well, this ia your own look-out.
The how and what way is your own look-
out. But the truth is, let Truth or God
become your father, let God or Truth become
your mother, let God or Truth be to you
your wife, let God or Truth be to you your
grandfather, your teacher, your house, your
property, your everything- Have all your
attachments severed from every object, and
concentrate yourself on one thing, the one
fact, the one truth, uiis., your Divinity.
Immediately on the spot you gain realization.

There is a beautiful song in the Indian
language, which need not be sung here. The

THB PATH OP TRUTH 11.

purport of the song is that if your father-
stands in the way of your realizing the
Truth, tread over him, go beyond him, just as
Prahlad, a hero in India forsook his father,,
because the latter stood in the way of his
realizing the Truth. If your mother stands
in the way of your realizing the Truth, for-
sake her, This is what the New Testament
says. The Hindu Bible also says the same.
Love Truth for the sake of your parents.
Love and honour parents as far as they
do not retard your progress towards the
Truth. IE your brother stands in the way of
your relizing the Truth, shake him off just
as Vibhishan did, If your wife stands in the
way of your realizing the Truth, cast her
aside just as Bhartriharidid. If your husband
stands in the way of your realizing the truth,
throw him off just as Mira did. If your
preceptor, your religious guide stands in the
way of your realizing the Truth, shake him
off, cast him overboard just as Bhishma did,,
because your real relative, your truest friend
is Truth and Truth alone. All other relations-
and companions are only fleeting, for a day

12 IN WOODS OP GOD-EEALIZATION

oaly, but; Truth is with you always. Truth
is jour real Self; Truth is nearer to you than
your parents. Truth is nearer to you than
your wife, children, friends, etc. Respect
Truth more than kinifs, parents, children,
father, mother, any one.

There iiafine illu^tra*^on p;ivfnbythe
life of a kint? in India. He trod the path of
Truth. It is said ih'it he was going up the
Himalayas to 1^-t his body melt down in the
Allows, There is a long story about it. Ratna
need not relate to you the whole. For some
reasen, for a great leason. he was going with
his parents, with his wife and wife’s brothers,
and liis four brothers on the summits of the
Himalayas. It is said that he was treading
the pnth of R gliieousm PS, he was going to
'Seek Truth, He was going ahead marching
-on. Hia younger brocner was following him
and after his younger broihrr o.ime his other
biother, and soon in the right order, and
after the brothers w<is the wife of this king.
Ho gOHS ah-‘ad, his face (owirds the goal,
and ► yes set upon thn Troth. He found that
hts wile was bt-Wai.ing hehind him, tottering

THE PATH OP truth:

13

down she could not follow him, she was
fatigued and about to die. Here the king
did not turn his face back. He asked his
wife to run up to him a few feet and then
he would carry her with him. ‘‘Come up
to me, come up to me. ” But she could not
go up to him for those three feet. She was
laggiug behicd, she could not manage to-
go up to him, aud he did not turn back : to
turn dack one step from the Truth is nob
allowable. Never will King Yudbishthira-
turn back one step. The wife totters down
hut for her the king is not to turn back
from the Tiuth. Thousands of wives you have-
had in your previous births, and if you have
any future births, you don’t know how many
times you will be married again; how many
relatives you have had, and how many rela-
tives you will have in the future. For the sake-
of these tie s and relations you have not to turn
back from the Truth. Go ahead, go ahead. Let
nothing draw you back. Have more respect
for truth than for your wife have more respect
for Divinity, The Truth concerns the whole-
human race. Divinity or Truth concerns all

i4 IN WOODS OE GOD-EBALIZATION

time is eternal, and your worldly ties are not
'flo_ They are momentary. Bear in mind
the law that what is really good ior you,
must be really good for your wife or your
companions. If you see that for you it is
really beneficial to live apart from your wife,
remember that also it is really good for her
to live apart from you. This is the rule.
The same Divinby or truth that unde rlies
your personality underlies the personality or
being of your wife also. The wife of King
Yudhishthira fell down. But the king went
straight on and asked his brothers to follow
him. They ran on with him for sometime,
but the youngest brother could not keep pace
any longer. He was tottering down over-
taken with fatigue and was about to fall down
when he cried. “Brother, brother Yudhish-
thira, I am going to die, save me, save me, ”
King Yudhishthira did not turn his eyes away
from the goal, from the Truth, on he went, went
-ahead. He simply calls out to his younger
brother to gather courage enough to run up
to him those two or three feet, and he would
take him with him on that condition, but for

THl PATH OP TRUTH 1&

Slothing, Botbingcould he go one step behind to
give him even a pull. On he goes. The youngest
brother dies. Af;er a while the second brother
who was at the end of the rope, cried and
was about to totter down. He calls for help
^‘Brother, brother Yudhishthira, help me,
help me. I am going to fall down.” But brother
Yudhishthira does not turn back. On he
goes. This way all the brothers died, but
King Yudhishthira did not swerve or turn
back a single step. Away he goes, on he
goes to the path of Righteousness.

The story runs that when King Yudhish-
thira reached the pinnacle of Truth, when he
reached the goal, God himself, Truth personi-
fied appeared to him. Just as we read in the
Bible that God appeared in the shape of a
dove, so in the Hindu Scriptures we read
about God appearing to certain persons in
the body of an angel or in the shape of the
King of Heaven. So the story goes that when
King Yudhishthira reached the pinnacle of
Truth, Truth personified approached and
asked him to go in person to Heaven, to
ascend tp Heaven. As you read in the Bible

16 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION

about certain people being raised alive to
Heaven, so here is the sborj of King Yudhish-
thira being asked to ascend to Heaven alive.
When he locked’at his right band side, he
found a dog with him. King Yudhishbhira
saidj “0 God, O Truth, if you want to raise
me to the highest Heaven, you will have to
take this dog also with me. Let this dog
also ascend to the highest Heaven with me.’’
Bat the story says that G- >d or Truth per-
sonified said, “ King Yudhishlhira, that
cannot be. The dog is not worthy of being
taken to the highest Heaven, the dog has yet
t") pass through many transmigrations, the
dog has yet to come into the body of man and
live the right life and live as a pure, imma-
culate person. How then can it be raised to
the higlieet Heaven ? You are worthy of being
taken to the highest Heaven in body, but not
the dog ” There King Yudhishthira says,
“0 Truth, 0 God, I come liere for your sake
and not for the sake of Heaven or Paradise.
IE you want to raise me to the highest
Paradise and to enthrone me there you
will have to take this dog also with

THB PATH OP TRUTH

IT

me. My wife did not keep pace with me, she
staggered on the path of Righteousness. My
youngest brother did not keep pace with
he staggered on the path of Truth; my other
brothers did not keep company with me, they
forsook me, they yielded themselves to weak-
ness, they allowed temptations to get the-
better of them, they did not keep pace with
me; but here is this dog, he alone comes up
with me. Etere is the dog. He shares my
pains, be shares my struggles, he shares my
fights, he partakes of my anguish, he labours
with me. Here is this dog. If this dog divides-
with me my difficulties, my hard fights and
struggles, way should not he enjoy my para-
dise or heaven? I will never go to your paradise
or heaven if you do not make this dog share
equally with me that paradise or heaven, I have
no use for your paradise if you do not let in this
dog with we,”

There the story says that Truth personi-
fied or God said once tpore to King Yudhish-
thira, “Please do not ask this favour of me,
do not ask me to take this dog with you.’*”
But King Yudhishthira said, “Away, ya

18

IN WOODS OF GOD-BBALIZATION

Brahma, you are no Truth or God personified.
You may be sooaa devil, you cannot be God
or Truth, because if you be Truth, then why
■should you allow any injustice in your pre*
sence? Don’t you mark that if you give me
the exclusive enjoymeht of heaven, and don’t
allow the dog to share it my happiness, then
you are unjust to the dog which shared my
troubles? This is not worthy of God or Truth
|)ersonified.” The story says that on this,
Truth personified or God appeared in his true
colours, and that very dog was immediately
found to be no longer the dog but to be in
full glory the Lord Almighty Himself. That
king was being examined and tried, and in
the final examination, in the final trial, he
•came out successful.

^This is the way you have to tread the
path of Truth. Even if your dearest and
nearest companions, those who are next of
kin to you, do not keep pace with you on the
path of righteousness, do not look upon them
f,s your friends, and if a dog accompanies you
on the path of righteousness, tfiat dog should
1)6 the nearest and dearest being to you.

THE PATH OP TEUTH

19

Thus make your friends on the principle of
favouring your righteousness, select no
friend on the principle of favouring your evil
nature. If you select your companions on
the principle that they enjoy the same kind
of evil propensities that you do, suffering,
anguish and excruciating pain will be your
lot.

It is related of a Hindu saint that he was
once going through the streets hungry. You
know in India saints or sages come down
from mountains and walkthrough the streets
when they are hungry, and beg food for
their bodies. On very rare occasions they
visit the streets. Usually they live outside
the cities in the forests, devoting their time
entirely to God-consciousuess. The hungry
saint was fed, [If Eama also takes something,
you will have good reason to excuse him.}
A lady brought to him dainty food to eat.
He just took that loaf of bread in his
handkerchief, left the house, went out into
the forest, as is the way with monks in India:
There he put it in water and making it wet
.ate it. The next day' lie Came again to the

20 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION

Btreeta at the usual time. Again the girl
approached him, and gave him something
very rich to eat. He went back. The third
day also that girl brought him something very
good to eat, but while she was giving him thi»
dainty food, she made the remark, “I keep
waiting for you. My eyes have become sore in
waiting for you, in keeping watch at the door.
Your eyes have bewitched me.” These were
the words that escaped the lips of that lady,
The sage went away. He went to some other
door and there he got some food, and eating
that food’ he went out to the forests and threw
into the river the food which was offered him
by the first lady who expressed her love to
him, and the other food that was presented to
him by the second lady he ate, and the next
day, do you know what he did? He got very
hot irons and poked out his eyes, and tied
them in his handkerchief, and with the aid of a
stick, with great difficulty walking the streets
felt his way to the house of the lady who had;
expressed her love to him, and there he found
that the lady was waiting for him very anxio*
usly. His eyes were fixed on the ground.

THE PATH OF TRUTH

21

The lady did not notice that he had poked
out his eyes, and when she brought something
very rich for him to eat, he presented his eye-
balls to her saying, “Mother, mother, take up
these eyes because the eyes had bewitched
you, and had caused you so much trouble.
You have every right to possess these eyes.
Mother, you wanted these eyes. Have them,
keep them, love and eoj y them, do with
these eye balls whatever you wish, but for
heaven’s sake, for mercy’s sake, do not retard
my progress onward. Make me not stumble
in the path of Truth,*’

Now we see, 0 people, that if your eyes are
the stumbling block iu your way, oast thein
out. It is belter for your body to be without
light than for your whole being to perish in
darkness. This is the way.

If your eyes stand in the way of your
relizing the Truth, poke ihem out. If your ears
tempt you and keep you backward, cut them
out. If ?our wif^, money, property, wealthy
or anything stands in (he way, away with it.
Could you loTe Tfu h with the same love as
you have fur your wife and relatives, eOuld

22

IN WOODS OS’ GOD-EEALIZATION

you love Divinity and Atman or realization
with the same zest or zeal with which you
love your wife, could you love God with even
half the love that you show your wife, you
would realize the Truth this ' second. You
realize God when you begin to tread the path
of righteousness, and overcome some of the
temptations which present themselves in the
beginning, if you come out victorious over the
ordinary temptations, what will you find ?
You will not find this path all rough and
without any beauty, you will not find this
path rugged through and through. They say
that the path of Truth is narrower than a
needle’s end. In the Vedas it is written that
the path of Truth is as sharp and, narrow as
the razor’s edge, but this is not the whole
truth. In the beginning the path seems to be
very narrow and sharp; but when you come
out victorious over the ordinary temptations,
you will find the path to be wonderfully
beautiful and exceedingly easy. You will
find that the whole of nature helps you and
everything stands on your side. These diffh
culties, these temptations, these obstacles,

, THB PATH OP TEUTH 23“

these struggles and oppositions only bully
you. They only scare and frighten you, but
do not really harm you. If yon can outstare-
them and scare them off, you will find that
the difficulties were only seeming difficulties,,
the difficulties and temptations were only see'*
ming difficulties and temptations. You will
find all nature standing on your side, the
w)iole of creation ready to lackey you. Ton
find that out.

It is said in one of the Hindu Scriptures
which is the Iliad of India and which relates
the story of Rama, the greatest hero of the
world, or at least of India, that when he went
to search out Truth, to discover or regain
Truth, all Nature offered him her serwices.
It is said that monkeys formed his army and
squirrels helped him in Building a bridge
over the gulf. It is said that even geese cams
up on his side to assist him in overcoming
his foes. It is said that the stones offered, him
their services. The stones forgot their naturej;
the stones, when thrown into water, instead
of sinking, said, “We shall float in order that
the cause of Truth be advanced.*’ It is said

124

nsr WOODS of aoD-EBAnzAnoN

that air, the atmosphere, was on his side, fire
held him, winds and storms were on his side, -
There is a saying in the English language
that the wind and wave are always for the
brave. All nature stands up on your side
when you persist, when you overcome the
primitive seeming difficulties. If you over-
come the struggles or temptatious in the
beginning, the whole of nature must serve
you. Persist in standing by the Truth, and
you will find that you live in no ordinary
world. The world will be a world of miracles
for you, the miracles all around you, and woe
unto the gods if they do not lackt-y you in
your adv-noe onward. Nature is waiting
anxiously upon the ruler of the Universe.
ITou are the master of the Universe, you are
the husband of the whole world, if you persist
by the Truth.

Now Kama will conclude by relating to
you the life of, according to Rama, one of the
greatest men in, the world, the life of an
Indian saint. Shams Tabrez is. his name.
This man was born under peculiar cirpums-
tanoes. The story may be true or false, W

THE PAOH op a?EUTH

26

have nothing to do with it, but there must be
some trutli in it. It is related about his father
that he was once the poorest man in the
■country. That poorest oaan d' v )ted his life
•entirely to God cnusciousness. forgot that
his body was ever born, he emiiely forgot
that his persouality ever exisod in this
world. For him the world had never been a
world. He was G d, all Divinity. And just
when a man’s wliole being is saturated with
an idea, from bead to h ot, every pore of his
body was alive to God-Cf nsoiousness. It is
related that when he walked through the
streets, the people heard through the pt res of
hii body this 8( ng, ‘'Haq, At alhaq,” which
means “’God, I am G d”. The song on bis
lips was always, '‘Analhaq, Analhaq, Divinity
I am, Divinity I am.” The ordinary people
gathered around him. They wanted to
murder him. They accused him of heresy.
Why is he calling bifioself God? He was
Divinity himsel', to him the body was no
body, the world was no world. When the
words ‘Analhsq’ escaped his lips, he was not
even conscious of that. J ust as a aian snores

\

20 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION

when asleep, similary from his stand-poinfe
he was entirely lost in Divinity, and if those' •
words ‘Analhaq’ escaped his lips, they were
like the snoring of a man who is asleep.

But the people wanted to kill him. What
is that to him, whom will you kill ? You will
kill the body, but that body from his stand-
point never existed. Kill his body, what
pain can it cause him? It is related that this
man’s body was placed upon a cross. Yon
know that putting a body on a cross is an
easy thing, but there they have something
worse than a cross. It was a long iron pole^
pointed at the end with a needle-like end,
and the heart of the man was placed exactly
on the top of the iron pole, the sharp pointed;
end of the iron pole had to press through
the solar plexus. This way was the man-
put to death in those days. You see this is- i ^
worse than a cross even! His body was placed; J

upon a cross of that kind, and it is related! i

that while his body was placed there, this r/
man’s face was glowing with glory, and, ! i
through every hair of his body the sam&
sweet song was all the time cording out— ; 'j

"I

THE PATH OP TKUTH . 2T

%

“Analliaq, I am God, I am God, Divinity I am,.
Divinity I am.” The body dies, to Mm it
makes no difference. There you see that if for
the sake of Truth you have to give up the •
body, give it up. This is the last attachment
broken. -What to say of giving up wordly
attachments for the sake of Truth; for the
sake of Truth you have to give up not only
worldly attachments, but if there be need to-
give up the body, give it up. This is how you
have to tread the path of Truth. Here when-
the man was hanging upon that pointed pole,
drops of blood fell from his body, and the story
says that those drops of blood were gathered
by a young girl. This young girl who believed,
the same way as the saint, this young girl
who was of the same thought as the preacher,,
drank up this blood, and they say that she
was conceived. It may be true Or false, we-
have nothing to do with that. According to*
Vedanta, if Christ could be of immaculate-
conception, this could also betrue^ because
here was a man who was not inferior to Christ,
really superior to him in many respects. This;
woman gave birth to a body who is the sag©#.

I

-28 IN' “WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION I

whose life Rama wants to relate to you. From
his beginning, from his 'V'ery childhood he was
all Divinity, even far exceeding his father.

- There is such a great book, you will believe ;

that, large work which came from the lips of |

this hero. This man did not take up a pen and |

write it, but it is sdd that ) hrough him always ‘

poetry came out, all that he spoke was poetry, ;;

all that he said was poetry. But what kind of I

poetry? — not the doggerel of your American ::

poets. It was real poetry in the true sense of
the word. It was God-consciousness aod noth- I

ing else. It was sublime with Divine ideas. [

Every word is worth its weight in gold, if it ;

*0001(1 be weighed at all.

There is a very remarkable fact related
.about this man. At one time there appeared
to him some people wlio were coxiiv ( ted with [

>Bome show, you might suy, a circus or some
other kind of show. When they performed it ;

in the presence of the king, he was highly 3

pleased with them, and offered them a thou-
sand doliais. Afterwards, the king repented.

The king did not think it advisable to give
away thousands of dollars evejy night for

THE PATH OP TBITTH 29“

mere empty shows and so, in order to get
back his thousand dollars, he made a pre-
tence, and asked those people to appear in the
garb of a lion, and thus if the lion’s perform-
ance was pleasing to the king, he might give-
them something enormous, something great,
otherwise the king would fine them all their
property. These people could not give a lion’s-
performance, they could not put on the garb
or assume the shape of a lion and please the
king. You see, in India, there are people
who put on all sorts of garbs and appear in
the shape of st me animals and make them-
selves appear to all intents and purposes the
animals they play, but they could not assume
the garb of the lion.

These people came to this man and were
weeping and crying and shedding tears. The
story says that this sage being in tune with
the Universe, in, harmony with the whole
nature, being one with each and all, naturah
sympathy overtook his heart, and all of a
sudden he spoke to those people to be of good
oheer because he was to appear as a lion, and
to give the performance of a lion himself,.

80

IN WOODS OF OOD-RBALIZATIOF

So the story goes that the next day when the
king and his courtiers were all standing,
waiting to see a man assume the shape and
hgure of a lion, all of a sudden, as if by magic,
a real lion jumped into the pit. This lion at
once roared and roared, he took up the child
of the king and tore it to pieces. He took up
•some other boy and threw it out to the sky.
You see here was a man who was in reality
Divinity and God. To this man the idea “I am
this little puny body” had become a thing of
the past, it had become absolutely meaning*
less. He was Divinity himself, and the God
that appeared in the shape of a lion, the same
•was he, and he was in a moment’s thought a
lion. • (Just as you think so you become, and
if you have felt and realized your Divinity as
'God, all your thoughts and depires are bound
to fructify, to be realized on the spot.) So
this man’s thought that he could appear as a
lion was immediately realized, and a lion he
was. , The show was over. The sage after
Jrilling this boy went away, becaufse he had
not to become a lion and respect this body or
(that. He was no respecter of persons. But

•* THE PATH OP TRUTH 81

liere the king was exasperated, the king and
the courtiers were all rage personified, they
wanted to wreak vengeance upon this man.
They came to him and said, “Sir, sir, please
bring this boy 'to life again. If you can kill
him, you can bring him to life also. Bring him
back to life, just as Christ used to bring to life
the dead, by saying ,...(Qum Biyazn

Allah) which means “Rise in the name of God,
glory to God and walk, be alive, come back to
life.” They asked him to make that dead boy
come to life in the name of God. The sage
' laughed and said, (Qum Biyazn Allah)

which means “Come back to life in the name
of God,” but the boy did not revive. The saint
said, “The boy does not come to life in the
name of God.” He said again, “Come to life in
the name of God.” Still the boy did not come
to life. He said again, “Come to life, get up
and walk in the name of God, the Lord,” but
the boy did not come to life. The sage smiled
and said j*3 (Qum Biyazni) which means
“Come to life by My order, through my
command, come to life,” and the boy came tp
life. This is the truth, ‘‘Qum Biyazni,” “Cotpe

#

82 IN WOODS OF GOD EEALIZAMON*

to life in My name,” and the boy waa all right*
The boy came t ) life, but the people all around
him could not bear it. They said, ‘‘Here is
a man, a h retie. He takes all this credit to
himself. He wants to make himself equal tO'
God. He ought to be put to death. He ought
to be murdered, fliyed alive.*' To the sage it
meant nothing. The people understood him
not. He is not calling the body, the little
personality, God. He had already killed and
cruoifi-d hie flesh. The people wanted to flay
him aliv^>, and the story says that that man
immediately applied his nails to his head, and
just as the skin of animals is torn and sepa-
rated from the body, so with his own nails he
tore his own skin, cut iceff and threw it away.
And there is a fine, long poem written by him
on that occasion. The purport of that song is
“0 Self, 0 Self,” he is addressing himself, “to
whom the poison of the world is the nectar
and, 0 Self, to whom the nectar of the world
(that is to say, the sensuous enjoyments) m
poison. Here are people wanting something*
The world is nothing else but a dead carcass
(and here dead carcass means ‘‘sensuoue

THH PATH OF TEtJTH. 33

enjoyments”), the worldly pleasures are noth-
ing else bub a dead carcass ; and the people
who run after them are no better than dogs.
Here are these dogs. Give them this flesh
to eat.” This story may or may not be true.
Rama has nothing to do with it, but the spirit
of the story, the moral of the story you have
to bear in mind.

Here, in order to realise the truth, to
tread the path of righteousness, give up all
attachment rise above worldy desires and
selfish clingings. If you free yourself of
worldly clingings and selfish desires, what
about the Truth ? Truth you are this moment.
Fools pray, “More light, I want more light.”
You need not pray that way. You need
not waste even a prayer on calling for Light.'
If you make yourselves this second divested
of all desires, * if you free yourselves of all
worldly clingings, you know that every
desire of yours chops out a . part of yourself,
leaves you only a small fraction of yourself.
How seldom it is that we meet a whole man.
A whole man is an inspired . man, a whole
man is the Truth. Every wish or clinging

IN WOODS OF aOD RBALIZATION.

S4'

makea you a proper fraction bub in reality it
makes an improper portion, insignificant
portion of yourself. The very moment you
nasb overboard these desires, clingings, loves,
hatreds and attachments and also throw off
oven the desire for light and chant OM for a
oeoond, freeing yourself from hatred and
attachment, well balanced in equilibrium,
nothing^ of yourself leit with that person, with
that body, or with that object, all that part of
yourself which you have left with the object
or desire gone ; sit still, chant OM, and then
think who it is within you. Is it not your own
Self that makes the hair grow and the blood
flow through your veins? Is it not your
own Self who created this body ? This
wonderful world is also your handiwork.
This is your own creation most certainly.
Mark it. Who is it that hears through you ?
Is it not your Self ? Who is it that sees
through you ? Is it not your Self? Who is
it that makes the blood flow in your veins ?
Is it not your Self ? And if that Self of yours
could work out such marvellous fact, the
world is your own creation. Peel that and

ma® PATH OF TRUTH. 36

rejoice in your one Divinity, and derive
pleasure from within You, enjoy happiness of
Your own Atman. Throw aside all abnormal
desires and inordinate wishes. Chant OM,
OM. If you do that for a few moments, your
whole being from head to foot becomes
Light. Why pray for Light when Light is
your own Self ? You become Light imme-
diately, Make yourself whole, get rid of
desires and attachment, get rid of this
repulsion and attraction. It is attachment
that detaches. When yon reach home, see
to what you are attached. If you are attached
to name or fame, give up that. If you are
attached to the desire for popularity, detach
yourself from it ; if you are attached even to
the wish to the desire to help the world, give
that up. This seems to be something in-
ordinate. Why should the world be so
poor as to be begging help from you all the
time ?

Rama says, take up your duty or work
with no notice or desire on your part. Do
your work, enjoy your work, because your

work by itself is pleasure, because work is*
%

36

m WOODS OP OOD-B^ALIZlTION.

the other name of realization. Take to your
work because work you have to do. Work
leads you to realization. Do not take ta
work on any other ground. Come to your
work in an independent spirit, just as a prince'
to play football or some other game for
pleasure's sake, so come to your work because
pleasure or happiness lives in the garb of
work. Independent we feel, not bound by a
thing.

People say duty, duty,^ duty. Why should
duty lord it over you ? Feel no responsibility
to anybody, you are your own Lord, Have
no fear. We say you will have to work, but
when doing other work, which work you make
religious, which you make holy and sacred,
you are engaged in that, well and good ;
when your hands are not employed, when
your hands are free and you are sitting in
your room, enjoy your godhead, relish your
Divinity. That is the finest work. There
throw aside all attachment you own. People
say that attachment is necessary, motives
are necessary, to make us work, A false idea.
Give up all attachment, free yourself of all

37

,THB PATH OF TRUTH, ./

deiires, and the very second you find your-
self free, you feel no responsibility or burdens
thrown on your shoulders. All the burdens on
your ahoulders are plaoed thereby yourself.
Nobody is required to come and relieve you
of the burdens. When you find that there
ifl no burden on your shoulders* when, you
find all the objects of love are with you when
you live this Vedanta, youp whole being is
Light. Being the Light of Rights, to whom
are you to pray for Light ? This is the secret.
Free you become. Who puts you in bond-
age ? Who is it that enslaves you ? Your
own desires, nothing else. All the magnetism
of the world, all the powers of the world
flow from you, all the miracles of the world
are your abjeet slaves, nothing more. Get
rid of these desirea, free you become this
moment, and when you get rid of all desires,
what immense joy should it not bring you ?
No responsibility; no fear. Why should you
fear ? Because you are afraid that this thing
should be lost. You fear this man, you fear
that, you fear ridicule because you desire
this good name, you are attached to good

38 IN WOODS or god-eealiza;tion.

name. All fear and anxiety is the result
of desires, Headaches and heartaches
are the consequence of desires. You cringe
and sneak before the President or King,
because you desire his good grace. You
become the Lord of lords, the King of kings
when you are free of desires, when one by
one these desires are thrown off. How free
and happy you become that moment ! Thus
Rama says that the path of Truth is not a
thing to be accomplished or brought about,
your exertions and efforts are that you will
have to undo simply the bondage and
thraldom which you have already done
through your desires.

OMl OMI

Pleasures arc like poppies spread,

You seize flower, its bloom is shed,

Or like the snowfall on the river,

A moment white, then lost for ever,

Or like the Borealis race,

That flits ere you can fiind its place.

Or like the rainbow's lovely form
Vanishing amid the storm.

I

LECTURE II.

THE GOAL OP RELIGION.

Lecture delivered at the Hermetic Brotherhood Hall
San Francisco, on Saturday, .December 6, 1902.

Mt Alter Egos, Mt Other Selves,

There will be a regular course of lectures,,
to which to-night’s talk may be looked upon
as an introduction, “What is the Goal of
Religion, and how do the Hindus try to
realize it

According to the Hindus, everybody i»
God, the most precious Jewel, the whole
Treasure, the supreme Bliss and source of all
happiness in Himself. Everybody is Godt
and all in himself. If so, how is it that people
suffer? They suffer not because they have not
the remedy; not because they do not possess
the infinite joy in themselves; not becaUse-
they have not the priceless jewel withint

40 IN WOODS OF GOD-RBAIilZATION.

ilieniBelvep, but becauae they do not know
how to untie the knot which holds it, how to
■open the casket which contains it. In other
words, people do not know how to enter their
own spirits and realize their own Self. All
religion is eiihply an attempt to unveil
ourselves and to explain our Self. We
have placed a curtain before the precious
jewel wicbin us with our own hands, by our
own efforts, and have made ourselves miser-
able, poor wretches, as Emerson puts it.
“Every mhh is Grod playing the fool.”

All creed ^1 are simply the efforts to strike
out, to rend asunder the veil which covers
our exes. There are some creeds which
have succeeded in making the veil much
thinner than other creeds, but in all creeds
there are people who have the true spirit
and wherever the true spirit connes whether
the curtain be thick or thin, it is pushed
aside for the time being and a glimpse into
the Reality is had. It will be illustrated by
this example. Here is a curtain or veil.
(Here the Swami placed a handkerchief
before his eyes.) It is before the eyes, We can

THE GOAL OP EBLIGION.’

41

push aside th« cuitain and see, but the cur-
tain again comes up before the eyes. Tbe
curtain ia made thinner (here some of the
folds of the handkerchief were taken down),
and when the curtain is very thin it can
etill be shoved aside, but it comes up before
the eyes agaic. It does not leave the eyes
permanently. We will make it thinner still.
In this state also it can be slid aside fora
while. But it comes before the eyes again.
When the veil is made extremely thin, even
though it be not thrust aside, the veil does
not Bta.nd ,in ihe way of our vision. We can
see through it, and even now as before, vre
■can also remove it at times. When the
curtain is made extremely thin, it is practi-
cally no curtain, and we enjoy supreme
happiness, in spite of it; we are face to face
•with God} nay we are God. Nothing in
this world can disturb us or mar our happi-
ness; nothing can stand in our way. This
is the advantage over other creeds of Vedanta
which reduces the curtain of ignorance (Maya)
to its thinnest and enables at Qyani to enjoy
blissful vision in business-life.

i •

42 IN WOODS OF GOD BBALIZATION.

The votaries of all religious creeds Gan at
times be en rapport with Divinity and lift off
the veil, thick or thin, from before their eyes
for so long as they remain in communion
with the Supreme Being, A Vedantin also
can do that, can throw himself into a state
of happy trance; but he enjoys, celestial
vision even in the ordinary state, a celestial
vision which creeds of thicker veil do not.

All the sects in this world, including, those
of India, may be branched under three
principal headings. In Sanskrit we call these
‘Tassyaivaham,* ’Tavaivaham,’

‘Twamevaham’ The mean-

ing of the first ‘Tassyaivaham’ is ‘T am His,”
This forrd of creed keeps the curtain in its
thickest form. The second stage of religious
. creeds is ‘Tavaivaham,’ which means, ‘‘I am
Thine.” You will notice the difference
between the first phase of creeds or dogmas,
and the second. In the first attempts, in the
religious direction, the devotee, the wor-
shipper, looks upon God as away from him,
as invisible, and he speaks of God in the
third person, as if he were absent, ‘‘I am

‘ THE GOAL OF EBEiaiON. 4^

His.” This is the beginning of religion, it is'
like mother’s milk to every child of religion,.
Without having once fed upon this milk, a?
inan is incapable of making further progress-
in religion, ‘T am His.” Is it not sweet when
a man realises even this perfectly; awakes
early in the morning and thinks, “My master
wakes me,” goes to his official duties and
looks upon those duties as imposed upon him
by his dear, sweet Master, God ; looks upon
the whole world as God’s and regards his
house, his relatives, his friends as God’s, as
vouchsafed unto him by God? Oh, is not
the world' turned into a veritable Heaven, is
not the world converted into a Paradise?'
Let the man be sincere, let him earnestly
and with his whole heart feel and realize
that everything about him is his Master’s,,
his God’s, and this body is His. When
realized perfectly, even this idea brings ex-
quisite Joy, indescribable happiness, supreme
bliss— it is sublime. This is sweet enough
when realised and put into practice, but as-
a creed it is only the beginning.

Compare with it the second phase of

44 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION

■creeds, the second stage of religious Ufe and
devotion called ‘Tavaivaham,’ “I am Thine.
I need Q'hee every hour, I am Thine, Thine.”
The first was sweet, but this is sweeter. The
first state was very dear and very lovely,
but this is more lovely and more dear.
Just mark the difference. The difference
is illustrated by the veil having become
thinner. You know that in ‘T am Thine,”
'God is no longer spoken of in the third
person ; He is no longer looked upon as
absent, as behind the curtain, but comes face
to face with us. He is near and dear to us,
very close to us. He comes closer to us,
we become more familiar with him. As a
creed this is higher. But it often happens
that people believe in this creed, and address
God as very familiar, very near to them, but
they lack the true earnest spirit, the Living
Faith.

L ving Faith being conjoined to the first
state of religious devolopment, the curtain,
though very thick, is for the time being
removed. White a man is feeling with his
whole heart and soul — with every drop of

45>

’ THB GOAL OS’ EELIGION.

his blood — the idea that he is God’s, ‘‘I am-
His”, as it were, being poured forth from
every pore of his body; the sincerity, the-
earnestness, the ardour and the zeal for the
time being, remove the curtain from before
his eyes, and he is lost, merged in God, in
the All, becomes godly, ho becomes God for
that time. Sometimes the man who believes-
in the high principle “I am Thine,” lacks-
that true Linn g Faith and does not enjoy
full well the sweets of God’s presence. But
Living Faith and , earnestness can be con-
joined to the*^ second stage of religious creed
as well.

The third form of creed is called ‘Twame-
vaham,’ and means ‘T am Thou.” You see-
how near it brings us to God. In 'the first
form “I am His,” God is away, off. In •
the second form “I am Thine,” God is face-
to face with us. He has become closer to us
but in the final stage of religious develop-
ment the two become one and the lover and
the beloved are lost in Love. Thus is Vedanta
realized. The moth neared and neared the
light’till it burned its body and became Light;,

46 IN WOODS 01- aOD-EBALlZATION.

The word Upanishad (Vedanta) means literally''
■approaching so close (XJpa) to the Light of
lights that most certainly (ni) the moth of
-separating and dividing consciousness may
be destroyed (shad). The true lover of God
becomes one with Him, and unconsciously,
spontaneously, involuntarily such expressions
find utterance through his lips, “I am He,”
“I am He,’- “I am He,” “I am Thou,” “Thou
and I are one,*' “I am God, I am God. No-
thing less can I be.” This ii the final stage of
•religious development. That is the highest
devotion. This is called the Vedanta, which
means the end of knowledge. Here does all
■knowledge find its end ; here is the goal
reached. Even in this creed, where the
curtain is so thin that we can see the whole
. reality, even though the curtain is thin, there
are some who lack earnestness, sincerity or
single-mindedness, and do not slide away
the curtain entirely to taste full realization ;
and there are those also who, after arriving
intellectually at this conviction, begin to
realize the idea through feeling to such a
■degree that they remove the curtain and

,■ THE .GOAL OF BBLIGION, 47

-enjoy heayenly Bliss — they become Heaven
itself. These are called liberated, even in
-this life, JivanmuTctas.

The refining of creed or the thinning of the
•curtain comes chiefly through the intellect,
and the lifting of the veil is effected through
feeling. The three forms of creed have been
described. Now let us see how far it is possible
for men in the different creeds to shift the
the curtain between whiles. A few Hindu
•stories will serve as illustrations.

There was a girl very deeply in love, her
whole being transformed into love. At one
time she was seriously ill, and doctors were
called. They said that the only way to cure
her was to take out some of her blood. They
applied their lancets to the flesh of her arms,
but no blood came out of her body. But at
the same time curiously enough blood was
observed gushing from the skin of her lover.
What a wonderful union ! You will call
that a tradition, a false story, but it can be
true. Often do those people who experience
love, though of a lower degree, verify some-
ihing like that in their own lives. That

48 IN WOODS OF aOD-BBALIZATION.

/

girl bad forgotten her own personality and
had made herself one with her lover and
the lover had merged himself in the lady’s>
love.

Such a union with God is religion. Let
my body become His body and let His Self be-
come nay Self,

In a religious book of the Hindus, Yog
Vashishthat we are told of a lady who was
thrown into fire. The people saw that the
fire did not burn her. Her lover was thrown
into the fire, but it did not burn him also.
How was it? They were thrown into the
river but it did not carry them off. They
were thrown down from the tops of moun-
tains arid not a bone was broken. How was-
it ? At that time they could not give any
explanation, they were beyond themselves,
they were in that state where no questions
could reach them. Long afterwards the reason
was asked, and they said that to each of
them the beloved one was all in all ; the
fire Was no fire, it appeared to that lady
her lover, and to the man the same fire-
appeared to be his beloved one. The water

THB GOAL - OF RELIGION." 49

was no water to them ; it was all the beloved
one. The stones were no stones to them ;
the body was no body to them ; it was all
the beloved one. How could the beloved one
harm them ?

We read in the Hindu Puranas of a young:
boy whose father, a king, wanted to turn his
son from religious life. He desired him to
remain a worldling, like himself, but the
remonstrances and admonitions of the parent
did not prevail upon the child — they were
all lost on him. In order to prevent the
child from his intention, the father cast him
into fire but it burnt him not. The king
then threw his child into running water bub
it bore the child up. To him the fire, the
water and other elements had ceased to be
harmful — they were realized in their true
state. The boy had dehypnotized himself,
into this real state. Everything uuto him was-
God, all Love. The threats, frowns, and brow-
beating, Sword and flame, were nothing else
than sweet heaven. How could he be injured ?

Some time ago a Hindu monk was sit--
dng on the hank of the Ganges, in the deep

€0 IN WOODS OJ aOD-EBALIZATION.

Himalayan foresfca near Rishikesh. On the
opposite bank some other monks were obser-
ving him while he was chanting to himself
Shivoham ! Shivoham ! Shivoham ! which
means I am God, I am God. There appeared
a tiger on the scene. The tiger came and got
him in his claws, and though in the fangs
of the tiger, the same chant was coming out
from him in the . same tone, in the same
fearless strain, Shivoham ! Shivoham ! Shivo-
ham ! The tiger tore off his hands and legs,
and there was the same sound, unabated
in intensity. What do you think of that ?
What do you think of this saying, “ I am
God, I am God ” ? Gould you call it agnos-
ticism ? Far from it, far from it. This is the
final realization. Do not lovers, on reaching
that summit of love, feel themselves to be
one with their beloved one ? Does not the
mother call her child the flesh of her flesh,
the blood of her blood, the bones of her bones?
And does not the mother regard the child
as her other ego, as her other seif ? Are not
the interests of the child identical with the
interests of the mother ? Indeed they are.

THE GOAL OE EBLIGION.’ 51

Embracing Him, accepting Him, wed-
ding Him, become one with Him to such a
•degree and so intensely that there may be
left no trace of separation. Instead of praying
'‘Thy will be done, 0 'Lord,” let your joy be
*‘My will is being done.”

In India, long ago, ways and customs
were very different from what you find them
in America in these days. In America, you
have electric, lights to illuminate your houses
at night. At the time of which Rama is going
to speak, the Hindus used clay lamps and
when one family got their lamps lit, the
people of the adjoining houses would go into
their neighbour’s house to light theirs. One
evening a maiden who was ardently in love
with Krishna went to the house of his father
on the pretext of lighting her lamp. It need
not be said that it was in reality a desire to
get herself singed like a moth at the light of
Krishna’s face that led her to the house of
Krishna rather than to any other house with
lighted lamps. She really went to see him ;
the lighting of the lamp was only the excuse
ehe gave her ihother. She had to apply the

52 IN WOODS OF QOD-EEALIZATION,

wick of ter lamp to that of the burning lamp^
but her eyes were not on the lamps, they
• were on the face of the dear little Krishna.
She was looking at that charming, bewitching
face of Krishna ; she was looking at him so-
intently that she did not notice that instead
of the wick of her lamp being in contact with
the burning lamp, her fingers were burning
in it. The flame continued to burn her fingers
but she noticed it not. Time passed on and she-
did not return home. Her mother became im-
patient and could bear the delay no longer.
She went to her neighbour’s house, and there
she saw her daughter’s hand burning and the
daughter unconscious of it ; the fingers were
singed and were shrivelling, and the bones
were charred. The mother panted for breath
gasped and wept and cried aloud, “Oh, my
child, my child, what are you doing ? In the
name of goodness, what are you doing ?”
Then was the girl brought to her senses, or
you may say, she was brought from her senses.

In such a state of Divine love, in this
stage of perfect love, the beloved and the-
lover become one. “I am He,” ‘T am Thou.”

THBl GOAL 0^ EBLIGION,

63

This is the third state, and beyond that
comes the state where even these expressions
cannot be used.

The above stories illustrate the third
kind of love. The following will illustrate
the second state of religious development,
■“I am Thiop, ‘‘I am Thine.’’ Two boys
came to a master and wanted him to instruct
them in religion. He said that he would
not teach them unless he had examined them.
Well, he gave them two pigeons, one to each,
and asked them to go out and kill the pigeons
at some retired place where nobody might
see them. One of them went straight into
the crowded th>roughFare. Turning his back
to the peofile wlio were passing through the
street, and putting a piece of cloth over his
head, he took up the pigeon, wrenched its
neck and came bide strightway to the
teacher and said, ‘ Master, master, (Swami,
Swami), ht re is your order carried out.” The
Swami enquired, ‘‘Did you strangle the
pigeon when no one was seeing you?” He
said, “Yes” "‘AU right; let us see now whai
your oompauiou has doue.”

64 m WOODS OS’ GOD-EBALIZATION.

The other boy went out into a deep^
d ense forest, and was about to twist the neck
of the pigeon, and lo I there vtere the gentle,
soft and glittering eyes of the pigeon looking
him straight in the face. Hemet those eyes,
and in his attempt to break the neck of the
pigeon, he was frightened. The idea struck
him that the condition laid upon him by the
master was a very trying, hard one. Here
the Witness, the Observer, is present even in
this pigeon, ‘‘0, 1 am not alone ! I am not
in the place where no one will see me, I am
being observed. Well, what shall I do ?
Where shall I go ?” He went on and on^
ond retired into some other forest. There
also when he was about to commit the act, he
met the eyes of the pigeon, and the pigeon
saw him. The Ooserver was in the pigeon
itself.

Again and again he tried to kill the
pigeon; over and over again he tried, but
did not succeed in fulfilling the conditions
imposed upon him by the mabter. Broken-
hearted, he came back reluctantly to the
master, and laid the pigeon alive at the feet

THE GOAL OE EBLIGION. 6^

of the Svraini and wept and wept and criedi
‘ Master, master, (Sn^ami, Swami,) I cannot
fulfil this oondtion. Behind enough to im-
part the knowledge of God to me. Thi»
examination is too trying for me. I cannot
bear this examination. Please be merciful,
have mercy on me and impart to me Divine
knowlodge. I want that, I surely need it.’*
The master (Swami) took up the child,
raised him in his arms, caressed and patted
him, and lovingly spoke to him : “0, dear
one, 0, dear one, even as you have seen the
Observer in the eyes of the bird that you were
going to slay, even so, wherever you may
happen to go, and whenever you are moved
by temptation to perpetrate a crime, realize
the presence of God. Realize the Observer,
the Witness in the flesh and in the eyes of
the woman for whom you crave. Realize
that your Master sees you even in her eyes.
My Master sees me. Act as if you were
always in the presence of the Great Master,
even face to face with the Divinity, ail the-
time in the sight of the Beloved.” I

They say that in a grand museum in

66' IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

Naples, there is a beautiful angelic face on
the roof, and at whatever part of the. museum
you may happen to be, whatever part you
may happen to visit, you may go to the roof
you may go to the basement, wherever you
may be, the bright, dazzling, pure eyes of the
angel look you straight in the eyes. People
who are ia the seooud states of spiritual
development, if true to themselves, live
constantly under the eye of the Master.

» They feel and realize that wherever they may
go, in the innermost chamber of the house,
in the most secluded caves of the forest they
find themselves under the eyes of God, seen
by Him, fed by His light, nourished by His
grace.

Now we oome to the primary stage of
spiritual development. “I am His ! I am
His ! I am God’s !” This Seems to be an
elementary stage. Oh ! But how difficult
it is for people to realize the elementary
stage of religious development, and if a man
sincere, really single-minded, really devout,
puts into practice what he believes, makes
this idea course with the blood, through his

THE GOAL OF HELIGION.

67

veins, feels it with, pvery drop of his blood,
gets himself saturated with it, with this
(elementary creed, he may become an angel
in this world.

A highly revered saint (Guru Nanak) in
India was in his early youth working in a
place where it was his duty to give away
alms, to distribute food and treasure to the
people. Some poor men were brought
before him, with an order from his Master to '
give unto them thirtfeo bushels of flour. He
gave them one buehel ; he gave them the
second the third, the fourth, the fifth, the
sixth, until he caine to the number thirteen.
He was counting the number of bushels
audibly while dealing out the flour. The
number thirteen is called t&ra, in the Indian
language. This is a very remarkable world. It
has two meanings; one is thirteen — ten plus
three; and the other meaning of the world is
"T am Thine !” “1 am Thine !” ‘T am God’s.”
“I am part of Him, 1 am His.”

Well, he counted twelve and then came
the turn of the num her Ura. When he had
given them the thirteenth bushel and was

68 IN WOODS OF QOD-KIIALIZATION.

pronounohing ter a, such holy associations were -
aroused in him that he actually gave up his
body and all to God. He forgot everything
about the world ; he was beyond himself ; no,,
he was in himself. In this state of eostacy
he went on saying tera, tera^ tera, tera, and
went on unconsciously giving to the people
bushel after bushel, saying tera, tera, until
he fell down in a state of super-consciousness,
in a state of trancendental bliss.

Thus we see that people who are in the
elementary stages can often rise to the
greatest heights, if they are as good as their
word ; it they are sincere and earnest ; if
they do not want to throw dost into the eyes
of God ; if they do not want to make promises
with God and then break them. When once
in the temple or church, they say, “I am
Thine.” Let them feel it. Let them live it.
Let them realize it. This is true religion.

The different sects throughout the world
can be classed under these three heads — “I
am His !” ‘T am Thine !” “I am Thou.” So
far as the forms are concerned, the second
form, “I am Thine” is higher than the firsfj,

THE GOAL OE EBIIGION.

59'

‘‘I am His,’' arid the third form, “I am Thou”
is the highest. Into any of these three forms'
we may infuse the true religious spirit.

According to the Hindus, those who-
bring a true religious spirit to bear upon the
elementry state of the creed, will in this
birth, or in the next, rise to the highest creed;
they will rise to the second creed, and with
the second creed, again associating the true
religious spirit in this life or the next will by
and by rise to the next higher religious creed,
which is “1 am He.” “I am Thou,” When
this state is reached, there are no births. The
man is free, free, free! Man is God, God !'
Ho has reached the end ! OM !

Oh I brimful is my cup of joy,
fulfilled completely all desires;

Sweet morning zephyrs I employ,

^Tis I in bloom their kiss admires.

The rainbow colours and my attires;

My errand run light, lightning fires,

All lovers I am, all sweethearts I,

I am desires, emotions I,

The smiles of rose, the pearls of dew,

The golden threds so fresh, so new,

60

IN WOODS OP GOD-EEALIZATION,

Of Sun’s bright rays embalmed in sweetness,
The silvery moon, delicious neatness,

The playful ripples waving trees,
Entwinning creepers, humming bees,

Are my expression my balmy breath.

My respiration in life and death.

All ill and good, and bitter and sweet
In that my throbbing pulse doth beat.

What shall I do, or where remove ?

I fill all space, no room to move,

Shall I suspect or I desire ?

All time is me, all force my fire.

Can I be doubt or sorrow-stricken ?

No, I am verily all causation.

All time is NOW, all distance HERE,

All problem solved, solution clear.

No selfish aim, no tie, no bond,

To me do each and all respond.

Impersonal Lord of foe and friend,

To me doth every object bend.

LECTURE III.

TRUE SPIRITUALITY AND THE
. PSYCHIC POWERS.

Lecture delivered in the Hermetic Brotherhood
Hall, San Francisco, on December 15, 190S.

The first of a series of lectures delivered
by Swami Rama, devoted to questions and
answers, given at 609, Van Ness Ave, San
Fjrancisoo, Cal.

Q — Is it right to develop psychic power
and hold communion with the departed, and,
if so, are there any definite steps to ba
followed ?

A — In order to answer this question
fully, we shall have to enter in, detail upon
the attitude which Vedanta holds towards
such things.

According to Vedanta there are two waysi
the Pravritti and Nivritti or the path of action
and the path of knowledge or renunciation.

62

IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZA.TION.

The path of action corresponds to what the
■Christian Church calls salvation hy acts. The
path of knowledge corresponds to what the
■Christian Theology calls salvation by faith.
What is the difference between the two ?

The Path of Action as defined by the
Hindus, has for its goal the accumulation of
selfish personal power ; the extension of
doEhinion in the world ; to accumulate, extend
and broaden our possessions and property,
that is the aim of the Path of Action. This
is natural for everybody at a particular stage
of development. Everybody wants to enlarge
and extend his personal dominion, but this
will not lead to true immortality or true
life. Experiments have to be made in this
line, but there must come a time when we
will beat retreat and give up this grasping,
•craving, desiring ignorance and take up the
Path of Renunciation. This path is necessary
for our supreme happiness.

The Karma Marga, the Path of Action,
is of three kinds. This path of action is
■•simply worldliness. Now, worlds are of three
kinds, ignoring the sub-divisions.

TEUl SPIRITUALITY AND THE PSYGHIG POWERS. 63

The first — PratyaJcsha-Samsara—gTostiy ma-
terial world.

The second — Manasik-Samsara — psychic

I or astral world.

The third — Avijnata-Samsara — which liter-
ally means the world of the unknown.

These are the principal worlds and they
are exclusive of one another to an extent.

At the time when we are in dream land
or in other words, the astral or psychic world,
this gross, material world is, as it were, exclu-
ded, and so it is with the third world, Avijnata
Samsara. Some idea of this third world may
be had by referring to the deep sleep state.
In that state you are in a world devoid of any
nonnection with meum and teum, the world of
the Unknown.

The heaven and hell of the Christians,
the Mohammedan paradise the Hindu Swarg,
all belong to the second world, the world of
Manasik Simsara, spiritual world.

The second world has many sub-divisions,
in certain sub-divisions of the second world
we place the spirits. We need not at present
•enter into these details. The Path of Action

64 , IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

is simply worldliness. All ideas of extending-
our own personal power is worldliness.

A great scientist makes wonderful dls-
coveries as to steam or electricity and by so
doing he extends his own personal power ; he
has also extended our dominion over the-
elements. We are thankful to him, we honour
him, we respect &nd revere him, bub we do-
not go to him for salvation. We turn to him
and take his discoveries at their worth, but
we do not go to him for perfect bliss, for tho
All. Of that subj ^ot he knows nothing.

Similarly there may be a great empirical-
philosopher one who extends our knowledge
of the mind’s functions. We go to him, we are
grateful to him for letting us know the ope-
rations of the mind, intellect, feelings and
emotions ; we are grateful to him, but even a
philosopher like Mill or Spencer will not be
turned to for real peace of heart; each is very
good in his own line, but does not give us the
one thing needful.

In India there are a great many people
dealing with Spiritualism, men who have to-
do with the departed. They have a great

TEUB SPIEITUALITY AND THE PSYOHIO POWBES. 65^

' deal of knowledge from what is called the
other world, not of materiality but knowledge
of the other, the second world; but worldli-
nesa is worldliness, whether of this or the
other world, whether of this first gross
material world or the second or psychic
world. The reality or noumenon underlies
all these worlds and is above them. A know-
ledge of this Reality or Truth is the on©

■ thing needful. We welcome these people as
we would welcome a scientist or philosopher,
but we do not bend our knees before them,
for real peace and happiness, we cannot get
that from them.

It sometimes happens that a scientist or
an empirical philosopher possesses divine
knowledge; the spiritualist may also possess
the right knowledge, but then his spiritual
power, his power to communicate with the
departed, is related to his divine wisdom as
the knowledge of Mathematics is related to
Rama’s Vedanta. Rama was a Professor
of Mathematics, but^ that Mathematics has
nothing to do with the Vedanta which he is
preaching. We must not confound the two.

■66 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION.

A gentleman in India, a fast friend of
Rama, was a spiritualist in this sense. He
was taken to a place, his eyes were blindfold-
ed and a book on Mathematics was placed
before him. This book he had never seen.
In that state he could go on reading. Mathe-
matics has signs of its . own and this work
’Contained names which he was not supposed
to know. He asked for a blank sheet of
paper and went on copying all that was in
the pages of the Mathematical book. He
could not call the symbols by their proper
names, but he copied them all ; he possessed
that power. He could read your thoughts and
could copy instantly all that you could write
with your own hand, apart from him. Well,
here was a spiritualist but he was far from
being a holy man, no not in the least;
worldly, worldly he was and not a holy or
happy man.

Spiritualism is often designated as a
Science and as a Science we may respect it,
but it must not be confounded with that
which brings the real joy, the Perfect Bliss,
that which places you above all temptations.

ITEUB SPIEITUALITY AND THE PSYOHIO POWBKS. 67

We know of a man in India wl^o was
apparently dead for six months. This process
of suspending life functions is called Khechari
Mudra and is given in full detail in the works
on - Hatha Yoga. He put himself in that
state. There was no sign of life, no blood
flowed through his veins. After six months
he came to life again. Here mas a man who
might be considered a wonder of wonders,
another Christ. He came to life after having
been apparently dead for six months, not
three days only. This man was far from
being happy or free. Kama need not mention
the crimes he committed. The prince in
whose court he practised these things drove
him out of of the State.

There was another man who walked on
the waters. A real saint laughed and asked
him how long it took him to acquire this
power. He replied that it took him seventeen
years. The saint replied, ‘Tn seventeen years
you have acquired a power worth two cents.”
-(We give two cents to a boatman and he
ferries us across the river.)

All personal power is limited, it binds

68 rir woods' oi’ god-eeaxization.

you just as much as any possession or property-
binds you. Chains are chains whether of iron
or gold ; they enslave you all the same.

If these powers make a man so very holy,
then dogs must be holy. Dogs smell out where
the stag is. The dog has the power oi smell
that man had not; hence they must be holy.

There was a fahir who could make a king
of any person. How had he acquired this
power? He answered that he fasted and
after that ate the droppings of cows. He
lived in a certain way and thus acquired this
particular power. A brother said to him,
“You give this power of a king to be enjoyed
by everybody, but to you fall only the cow’s
droppings.” Thus Indians respect and honour
persons having these powers that is all, they
know that that which puts us beyond all
want is simply the knowledge of Self.

A Hatha Yogi came before an Indian
prince and threw himself into a long trance.
There was no sign of life. The people built a
cottage over him to protect him from rain
and storm. One night there was a very severe
storm and the bricks fell on the head of the

TETJH SPIEITUALira AND THH PSYCHIC PO WEBS. 69

Togi.’ He came to life again and the first
words he uttered were “A horse as my re-
ward, 0 king : a horse, a horse, 0 king’’. Thus
Indians know that so long as persons of this
kind are in a state of concentration, they are
in a good state, they are happy, but when on
the material plane they are just as miserable
as anyboby else.

Devouring a dagger, sword, or big knife
through the mouth, drawing needles through
the skin, and many other things are too
common in India, Again, keeping the mind
in a state of trance for three or four hours is
not a state of trance necessarily brought
about by divine wisdom. It is practised by
thousands of men in India, but in most cases
it is simply like Prometheus, stealing fire
from Heaven. It is throwing the curtain
before our eyes not permanently but for the
time being only.

Take the pond or lake ; over it is a green
mantle or scum. J ust turn aside this green
mantle and there sparkles the beautiful lovely
water from below. Draw jour hand asid©
and the green mantle covers up again tie

70

IN WOODS OP G0D-EBALI2ATI0N.

crystal water which made its appearance. It
is reasonable, feasible, and practical to
cleanse the lake of the mind. Clear it for a
few minutes by turning aside the green
mantle and wa may have concentration, but
it does not cure the disease permanently.
Repeatedly take out some of the green mantle
or scum and throw it off and thus the
remaing mantle becomes thinner until ulti-
mately the whole lake is cleared. That is the
object set before itself by Vedanta.

Again, here is a snake which bites you.
Now this snake can be cold stricken; it coils
itself into a ball and may be handled. Bring
it home and place it before the fire. When it
receives the heat, it stretches itself and bites;
its venom returns and the poison is there.
The venom is not gone from the snake.
This is another illustration of the process
of concentration adopted by some. In the
case of most people concentration is simply
the snake of the mind coiled around; the
poisonous fangs of this snake are the
desires which apparently die out for a time.
This little mind sleeps, or in other words, is

TBUB SPIRITUALITY AND THE PSYCHIC POWBBS. 71»

thrown into a state of SamadM. The snake-
is practically dead, cold-stricken, but not.
really dead. The snake might be handled in
another way. We might take up a musical
instrument and blow mantrams until the
snake is charmed; then by skill on our part
we can get hold of the snake, and take out
its fangs and teeth. The snake is then
fangless and toothless, the poison being taken
out of it. This is the Vedantic way of con-
trolling the mind.

Spiritualists usually put their minds in a
state comparable to that of the oold-strioken
snake and are in a state of bliss, but in this
work-a-day life their relatives, friends,
brothers, sisters and enemies all of them come
and warm up the snake of the passions and
desires ; they heat up this snake and then the
snake of passions and desires is roused, the
mind within is up to mischief again. The
fangs of the snake weie not taken out and
are poisonous as before. No character is.
built, no true spirituality is gained.

Most of these people want to tread upon,
their powers by making money. Ooncentration.;

72 IN WOODS OF aOD-EBALIZATION.

of mind is all right, but make the snake
.poisouless, pick out the fangs of the snake,
rise above all temptation : build your charac-
ter. These things are to be looked after,
■and must be remembered. When all the
points of weakness are cured, you are the
enake without the fangs, without the teeth
and even then you can be cold-striken, but
there is no necessity of remaining in that
•state; there is no venom in your stings. You
have character now and in the busy work-a-
•day life you are unharmed, undamaged, you
are beyond it.

A man drinks wine until he becomes
intoxicated and while in that condition, he
sells his house for $ 600 ; while in this condi-
tion he writes out a document selling his
house for $ 500, His wife soon gives him
vinegar or some sour drink and he becomes
sober, he is then sorry for what he has done
and .the folly of selling his big house for noth-
ing. He decides to bring a law suit against
the man who bought his house hoping to
gain his point on the ground of his intoxicated
condition which rendered him unaccoun-

TETJH SPIBCTUALITY AND THB PSYOHIO POWIES. 78

table for his actions. He was not sober at-
the time. Just bo it is with some people.
They are in a kind of intoxicated state aod
while in that they sell out to Q-od, they
give all their money, renounce all their pos-
sessions, give up father, mother, sister, bro-
ther, friend, all, all for God ; they have lost all
for God’s sake. Very good, they are in concen-
tration and after a short time worldly wants
begin to tell on them and petty cares make
their existence felt. They are given vinegar
and all intoxication subsides, and then they
take back everything from God. The body be-
comes my body, the house my house, and
they keep on wanting until they want even
what is their neighbour’s to be taken back,
want everything taken back from God. This
is all very well so far as it goes, but true
peace and happiness you can have only when
you rise to that state of perfection, when yon
give up everything permanently for God and
when you have built your character which
inakes you proof against all troubles. There
is no anxiety, no fear, no hope of the world.
You stand above all this.

74 IN WOODS OF aOD'EBALiZATtON.

According to Vedanta, if for a momenfr
you commune with the Divine you could
have certain powers. Will you not have the
whole world as yours? All is yours if you.
succeed in reaching those heights of renun-
ciation regularly.

If we seek an official of the king, we
■make a friend of him alone ; through him we
may or may not be able to make friends with
the king and other officials. Seek the' king
first and the other subordinates will seek you
and become your friends of their own accord.

Some people in India want to acquire
particular powers and do succeed in getting
them. There are others who shun them.
They want to tread the Path of Renunciation.
They want to know the one thing needful.
There is no power in this world without re-
nunciation but in acquiring paiticular powers
renunciation is imperfect. Let renunciation
be perfect, then dominion is perfect; the
whole world is yours. Those people who
tread the path of renunciation seek the king
himself. The king being realized within
yourself, all officials become your servants-

TEUB SPIEIT-UAtlTT AND TBB PSyCBIC POWBKS. 75=

This is the natural way, These 'power should
seek you, . You should not Seek the powers.

Is it right to develop psychic power ?
For its own sake it is worldliness. Vedanta
says you can comtnunioate with the departed^
it is possible no doubt ; but then is it not
just as good, nay better, to communicate with
the living ? It is a question whether the
departed come to us or whether it is our own
Self that takes up these forms. The con-
clusion of Vedanta is that if you look upon'
the psychic world from the stand-point of the
gross material world, you may say that the
departed come to you ; from the stand-point
of reality even the so-called gross material,
world people are wrong in making the state-
ment that “such and such a person called to
see me.” They are wrong from the stand-
point of reality for it is but your own Self
which stands up befors you, above you, below
you, and nobody else. You yourself manifest
in all these apparent varieties. Brother, friend,,
enemy ye are according to Vedanta, In reality
tQ say that the departed come is not true ; it is-
ourselves in other forms and in other shades..

f76 Iir: WOODS OE GOD-KBAtlZAOlON.

Are' there definite steps to be followed
to acquire psycbio power ? Yes, if one would
be an engineer, be must go through a parti-
cular training ; if he' would become a physi-
•cian, he must go to the Medical College. In
the same manner, in order to see these
psychic phenomena we must undergo a parti-
cular training, but this need not be told at
this time. Rama would recommend no running
or hunting after shadows or ghosts. Where
a holy man dwells they dare not approach.

Rama lived at one time in a cave in the
Himalayas which was noted for being haun-
ted by ghosts. The people who lived in the
neighbouring villages spoke of several monks
having died by remaining in that cave for a
night. Some of the visitors were said to
have been frightened to swooning. When
Rama expreesd a desire to live in that cave
everybody was amazed. Rama lived in that
cave for several months and not a single
ghost or shade appeared. It seems that they
all fled. There were snakes and scorpions
inside the neighbourhood, but never did any
harm to Rama’s body.

TEUB SPIBITUAtlTY AND TBi! PSYOHIO POWBES. 77

It is proved by Vedanta that free souls
or the Jivanmukias never live after death as
ghosts ; it is only the slaves of their own
phantoms that have to assume the garb of
ghosts or spirits. It is only the bound souls-
that are enchained in those shadowy shapes.

Dr. Johnson, the prince of talkers, withr
whom, it is said there was no reasoning, be-
cause “H his pistol misses fire he knocks you
down with the butt end of it,” Johnson who
would always have the last word to himself
in an argurnent, in a dream found himself
beaten by Burke. To a man of Johnson’s
character this dream v as as bad as a night-
mare. He started up and lost his ease of
mind ; he could not fall asleep ; but mind
cannot by its own nature — Divine nature —
live, long in unrest. He had to control him-
self, he had to console himself somehow or
other. Hereflec ied and came to the under-
standing that the arguments advanced by
Burke were also furnished by his own mind
the real Burke knew nothing about them
thus it was he himself who appeared untO'
himself as Burke and got the better of him-

78 . IN WOODS OS’ OOD-EBALIZATION.

•self. Bo it is yourself that appears to yourself
as ghosts, spirits, enemies, friends, neighbours,
lakes, rivers, mountains. In dreams you see
rivers and mountains ; if they be outside your
self, the bed must become enriched by the
river’s water and the bedstead together with
the sleeping room must be crushed down by
the weight of the mountains you see. The
swelling rivers and giant mountains are all
within you. You split yourself into the out-
side phenomena, the object on the one hand,
and into the little thinking agent, the subject
on the other hand. In reality you are the
object as well as the subject. You are ihe
self as well as the so-called not-self. You are
the lovely rose and the lover nightingale.
You are the flower as well as the bee. Every
thing you are. The ghosts and spirits, the
gods and angels, the sinners and saints, all ye
are. Know that, feel that, realize that, and
ye are free. This is the Path of Eenunciation.
Do not place your centre outside youself ;
this will make you fall. Place all your con-
fidence in yourself, remain in your centre,
and nothing will shake you.

LECTURE IV.

THE SPIRITUAL LAW OP CHARACTER.

Lecture delivered at Hermetic Brotherhood Hall,
San Francisco, on Decemler 17, 1902. ■

What is there in this world that remains
to be desired to a man who has once known
himself ? Nothing in all the treasures of the
kingdom, nothing in all the universe can draw
his attention. Nothing in all charms and
■beauties of this world can draw his notice,
■nothing in all the stores of knowledge can
attract him. Oh, what happiness, what
supreme joy, what perfect blijs, how indes-
cribable ! It transcends all language and
surpasses all description. That infinite joy^
that supreme bliss, that infinite happiness ye
are, that is your real Self ; that is your Atman.

Know that and you stand above all wants
and needs. Have that and the whole universe
in yours.

so IN WOODS OF GOD-EIALIZATION.

Oh, what a mistake is made by the people^
what an error is committed in giving up this
infinite joy, this Supreme Bliss for worldly
delusion, the shadows, the mil o'- the wisps.
This whole happiness is yours; that ye are.
Why not seek that ? Take possession of your
birthright. Like Esau, people sell their birthr
right for a mess of pottage.

Judas Iscariot sold Christ for thirty
pieces of silver. Do not sell the Christ of
your real Self, the Lord of lords, for the
deluding pleasures of this world. Be wiser,
be wiser.

Wihin you is the real happiness, within
you is the mighty ocean of nectar divine.
Seek it within you, feel it, feel it, it is here,
the Self. It is not the body, the mind, the
intellect ; it is not the desires or the desir-
ing ; it is not the objects of desire ; above all
these ye are. All these are simply manifes-
tations. Ye appear as the smiling fl )wer, as
the twinkling stars. is there in the

world which can make you desire anything ?

Just sing, just chant OM and while
chanting it, put your whole heart into it, put

a?HB! SPIRITUAL LAW OP CHARAOTEE. 81'

all your energies into it, put your whole soul
into it. Put all your strength in realizing
it. The meaning of this syllable OM is'
“I AM HE", “I AND HE ARE ONE,’’'
OM, “THE SAME AM I.” OM, OM, While
chanting, be conjuring up, if possible, before
your mind all your weaknesses and all your
temptations. Trample them under your feet,'
crush them out, rise above them and come
out victorious.

In India there is a beautiful story in the
Puranas. It speaks of Krishna jumping into
the river Jamuua while his father, mother,
friends and relatives stood by struck dumb
with amazement. In their very presence
he jumped into the torrent. They thought
that he was gone, that he would never rise
again. The story says that he went to the
bottom of the river and there was a thousand4
headed dragon. Krishna began to blow?
his flute, he began to play the mantram OM*
he began to kick down the heads of the,
dragon, he began to crush down the heads of
the dragon one by one, but as he crushed the
many heads of the dragon one by one, other

82 IN WOODS OP aOD-HBALIZATIOlir.

heads sprang up and thus it was very hard
for him. Krishna went on jumping and
•dancing upon the crested head of the dragon;
he went on playing the man tram on his
tflute, he went on chanting his mantram ani
otill jumping and crushing down the heads of
the dragon. In half an hour the dragou was
dead ; what with the charming note of the
flute and the crushing of the dragon by his
heels, the dragon was dead. The waters of the
river were turned into blood and the blood
of the dragon mixed with the water of the
■river. All the wives of the dragon came up
to pay homage to Krishna, they wanted to
drink of the nectar of his sweet presence.
Krishna came up from the. river, the amazed
relatives and friends were beside themselves,
their joy knew no bounds,- so happy were
they to find their beloved Krishna, their
beloved one, in their midst again. This story
has a double meaning. It is an object lesson,
so to say, for those who want to gain an
insight of reality into their own Divinity,
That lake or river represents the mind or
rather the lake of the mind, and whoever

THE SPIRITUAL LAW OF CHAEACTBE. 88

wants to become Krishna (the word Krishna
means or stands for Deity, God), whoever
wants to regain the paradise lost, he has to
enter deep into the lake of his own mind,
to dive deep into himself. He has to plunge
deep into his own nature, reaching the bottom
he has to fight tbs venomous dragon, the
poisonous snake of passion, desire, the veno*
mous dragon of the worldly mind. He has
to crush it down, he has to destroy its crestSi
he has to kick down its many heads, he has
to charm and destroy it. He must make
clear the lake of his mind, he must clear his
mind this way. The process is the same as
that followed by Krishna. He is to take up-
his flute and play the mantram OM through
it. He has to sing that divine, that blessed
song through it.

What is this flute ? It is simply a symbol
for you. Look at the flute. Indian poets
attach great importance to it. What a great
deed was it that the flute performed that it
was raised to such dignity ? By virtue
of which great Karma was it elevated to such
a position ? Why was it that Krishna who

84 IN WOODS OS’ GOD-EBALIZATION,

was the object of worship, who was loved by
mighty monarchs, who was worshipped by
thousands of fairy maidens in broad India,
how was it that Krishna, the beloved one,
the powerful one, the love personified, that
Krishna, who did not condescend tc look at
kings or monarchs, why gave he this flute
kisses ? What raised it to such a position ?
The flute’s answer was — 'T have one virtue,
one good point I have. I have made myself
void of all matter.”

The flute is empty from head to foot.,
“ I emptied myself or non -self.” Just so,
applying the flute to the lips means purifying
the heart, turning the mind unto God ;
throwing everything at the feet of God, the
Beloved One. Just give up from your heart
of hearts, give up all claim upon the body,
give up all selfishness, all selfish connections,
all thoughts of mine and thine ; rise above it.
Wooing God, wooing Him as no worldly
lover wooes his lady love : hungering and
thirsting after the realization of the true
Self, just as a man of the world hungers and
tfiirsts for what he has not had for a long

THE SPIRITUAL LAW, OP OHAEAOTBR. 85

time, hungering and thirsting for the Divine;
yearning for the Truth ; craving after a taste
of the sapreme reality of Self, putting your-
self in that state of mind is applying the
flute to the lips. In this state of mind, in this
peace of heart, with such a pure soul begin
to chant the mantram OM- begin to sing the
sacred syllable OM. This is putting the breath
of music into the flute. Make your whole
life a flute. Make your whole body a flute.
Empty it of selfishness and fill it with divine
breath.

Chant OM and while doing it, begin that
search within the lake of your mind. Search
out the poisonous snake with its many
tongues, These heads, tongues, and fangs
of the poisonous snake are the innumerable
wants, the wordiy tendencies, and the selfish
propensities. Crush them .one by one, tram-
ple them under your feet, single them out,
overcome them and destroy them while sing-
ing the syllable OM.

Build up a character, make firm resolu-
tions, make strong determinations and take
solemn vows so that when you come out of

86

IN WOODS OF aOD-EBALIZATION.

the lake or river of the mind, yon may pot
find the waters poisoned ; so that the waters
will not poison those who drink from them.
Come out of the lake having purified it
altogether. Let people differ from you, let
them subject you to all sorts of difficulties,
let them revile jou, but despite their favours
and. frowns, their threats and promises, from
, the lake of your mind there should flow
nothing but divine, infinitly pure, fresh
water. Nectar should flow out of you so that
it may become as impossible for you to think
evil as for the pure fresh spring to poison
those who drink from it. Purify the heart,
sing the syllable OM, pick out all points of
weakness and eradicate them. Come out

H,

victorious having formed a beautiful charac-
ter, When the dragon of passion is destroyed
you will find the objects of desire worshipping
you just as the wives of the dragon under
the river paid homage unto Krishna after
he had killed the snake.

Draw a diagram for your use and place
on this diagram a list of the ordinary sins
and short-comings. This table having been

THE SPIRITUAL LAW OP CHARACTER. 87

truced, you take the day of the week, per-
haps on that day you haTe suffered from
greed or grief ; you then place the mark (x)-
directly under the column headed greed or
grief, along the line of the. date and so on.
By keeping this private diary you can bring
before you your s hortoomings and be brought
face to face with your weaknesses.

Rama does not recommend that these
naarks be kept on the diagram. Today you
yield to some shortcoming ; be true to your-
selves and put down the asterisk mark today.
Next day in the morning or at any time
convenient to you, close the door, sit down
all alone and optn the chart before you and
here you see that you yielded to greed or
grief or whatever it may bej then begin
lecturing to yourself.

We in this country have too many
lectures from others. Let all the great
lecturers of the age come, let Christ or God
Himself come and lecture, but lectures from
others will be of no avail unless you are
prepared to lecture that yourself. He alone,
can . raise himself or make progress, whn

^8 . IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION,

lectures to himself. You know that you
.yielded to grief. Try and diagnose and
, prognose the feeling. Why were you over-
powered by grief? Find ont the cause and
then find a remedy for it. You may at that
time read an instructive book, say Bhagavad-
Gita or the Bible, or Emerson’s works,
or any books which may tend to lift you
from the plane of grief and with their aid
and the aid of your own lectures, reflections,

. meditations, try to drive out this feeling from
you for ever. If you feel convinced at that
time that you have conquered and that you
will not lose yourself again, no natter what
imay befall you, when you are assured
you have trampled it under your feet, that
,you have gained the victory, then erase the
asterisk mark. You are free then. Why
condemn yourself for the past ? Let the dead
past bury its dead.

Take up these faults one by one, find the
cause and the remedy for each, diagnose and
prognose each one, lecture to yourself, but
before such diagnosis and prognosis is done
in this class, each one of you must lecture

THE SPIRITUAL LAW OF OHARAOTEE. '89

to yourself. Each oue will have to do the
work for himself. Sit down and meditate
upon that which you suffer from and while
meditating chant or sing OM. While the lips
are chanting, while the voice hums this
sacred syllable, while you are firm in your
resolutions, the infinite blessings celestial
are on you. You will be strengthened from
within. These are some of the crested heads
-of the dragon which infested the lake of
your mind. Crush them out one by one.
There is one common cause for all shortcom-
ings, one common basis, root of all these
evils, and that is Ignorance, — Ignorance in
all its shapes especially ignorance of the real
Self, ignorance of the true Atman.

People identify themselves with the body,
accumulate all sorts of things around it
and want to have pleasures from without.
They are identified with the body and are
liable to be grieved or afflicted.

Rise above the body. Peel and realize
that you are the Infinite, the Supreme Self,
and how can you be affected by passion or
greed?

90 IN WOODS OF GOD EBALIZATION.

Ab a diviaion to the general ignorance of
the true Self, there is the ignorance of the
common laws of nature which keeps people
■ flick and weak. Here is a sacred law of nature,,
a law which cannot be set at naught. The
law is —

Do any kind of wrong, do any mischief^
harbour in your mind any .kind of wrong,
do these wrong deeds, commit these sins-
evfn at a place where you are sure nobody
will catch you or find you, where nobody will
call you to question. Sow these seeds-
of evil wherever you please, even in a place
as secure as any fort could be ; sow the wind
and by the most stern, unrelenting, irrefrag-
able, irretrievable law, you reap the whirl-
wind ; you must be visited with pain and
suffering. The wages of sin is death.

People take it as a moral law and say
that there is not the same strength in it as-
there is in mathematical laws ; they say that,
there is no mathematical certainty about it.
Mistaken are they who think that way. In
the most solitary caves commit a sin and you
will in no time be astonished to see that the

THE SPIEITUAL LAW OP CHAEACTBK, 91

very grass under your feet stands up anil
bears testimony against you. You will in time
see that the very walls, the very trees'
have tongues and speak. You cannot cheat
nature, Providence, This is a truth ; this is a
la,w. We commit sins only in the heart and
we find ourselves in the ' outside world
surrounded by embarassing and harassing
circumstances ; in difficulties, in ail sorts of
straits. We find this to be the ease and those
who are ignorant of the real cause of their
difficulties blame circumstances ; they begin-
• to fight their surroundings, they file law suits
against relatives, friends, and their fellow-
men. Here is a divine law which should be
proclaimed in all corners and in all bazars.
Try to throw dust into the eyes of God and
you will be blinded yourelf.

The law is that you, shall be pure. Har-
bour impurity and jou must suffer th® conse-
quences. We will take up these spiritual
laws one by one and prove them with a
mathematical certainty. When a man once,
understands these spiritual laws, it becomes
impossible for hirii to stoop to these selfish

:92 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION. ,

desires. Having gained control of these
desires, the mind can be -concentrated for any
length of time. Character must be built first,
this is necessary.

Is fasting necessary to the conquering of
one’s own mind ?

As to fasting, Rama says, do not starve
or overfeed. Both extremes are be avoided.
Sometimes fasting comes naturally ; we feel
within ourselves a natural desire to abstain
from eating. Such instincts of the heart
should be obeyed, but at other times the inner
self tells you to take nourishment. Follow
these instincts.

Fasting should be taken as a help but it
should not master us.. People often fast
because it is forced upon them ; they then
become servants of this slavery of fasting.
Rama does ne t copntenance slavery. As to
fasting, in India some do fast and there are
particular days which are especially observed
as to what kind of food is taken and how
•much. These days are the Full Moon day
and New Moon day.

On the Full Moon day, people in India

THE SPIEITTJAL LAW OP OHARAOTBB. 93-

eat Buch food as will not tell on the stomach ;
and on that day they specially oonentrale
the mind, that day being paiticularly favour-
able for concentration. This you will see if
you try to verify it. Such food is taken as
will not disturb the equilibrium of the mind.

The New moon night and the New Moon
day are especially instinct with a particular
kind of virtue in aiding the concentration of
the mind.

True fasting means ridding ourselves of
all selfish designs, desires, not feeding them
but purging ourselves wholly of them.

LECTURE V.

THE KINGDOM^ OF HEAVEN,

Lecture delivered at the Hermetic Brotherhood Hall,
San Francisco, on December 19, 1902.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within you
How have you to realize that ?

There is a very beautiful story showing
how to realize the kingdom of Heaven within
■us. It is related that at one lime the Vedas
were iaken by a demon and carried to the
bottom of the sea.

The word ‘Veda’ has two meanings. The
original meaning is knowledge, the kingdom
of Heaven. The second meaning is, the most
sacred Scriptures of the Hindus.

The name of this demon, said to have
carried the Vedas to the bottom of the sea,
was Shankhasur which etymologically means
the demon of the conchshell or the ‘‘ insect
dwelling in conch.”

THIS KINGDOM OK HEAVEN. 95

la order to redeem the Vedas, in order to
fering back the treasures of knowledge, God
incarnated as a fish, fought with the demon
•destroyed it, and brought back the Vedas to
the world.

Children read that story and take it
literally ; common people read it and take it
literally, but there is a deep, hidden meaning
in the- story. The story was meant to
illustrate a general truth.

God incarnated as a fish to bring back the
Vedas from the worm living in the conch
shell. God incarnated as a fish and fought
the demon or insect at the bottom of the sea
and destroyed' it. What was the use of this ?
The fish is a maritime animal and the conch-
shell is also inhabited by a creature of the
sea. Now God the All, in the shape of the
fish fought the insect of the sea. The insect
was driven out of the shell and the waves of
the sea washed the shell ashore. People picked
it up. The conch-shell was blown and there
came out of it reverberating sound OM. This is
Veda, In this sense was the Veda, the conch-
shell, brought from the bottom of the sea.

96

IN WOODS OP QOD-EBAMZATION,

Tiie sbory-teller meant to lay particular
Stress on the importance of the sacred mantram
OM. The object is to show that this sacred
syllable OM is the end of knowledge in all
the world. It is all the Vedas, all the Kingdom
of heaven put in a conch-shell condensed
to its smallest compass. That was the object
of this story.

The Hindus blow conch-shell on all sacred
and important occasions, i. e., they chant OM
at the time of death, birth, war or worship.
Happy is he who lives, moves and has his
being in OM.

In order to come by these treasures
within or in order that the kingdom of Heaven
may be unlocked, this is the key to be used.

People of Europe and America do not
wish to take up anything unless it appeals
to their intellect. Even though we may not
be able to prove the virtue of this mantram
by the logic of the world, yet there is no
denial of the powerful effect which this
maniram, chanted in the proper way produces
on the character of a man, or of the virtue
it has of unfolding the inner secrets, in

THE kingdom: ok hbayen.

9T

placing all the treasures of the world at our
disposal. One object of the story-teller was
to show that all the knowledge of the sacred
Scriptures of the Hindus was obtained when
the writers of these volumes had thrown
themselves into ecstasies by the humming of
this syllable. This man tram is the seed of
all knowledge. , The importance of this
mantram will be laid before you from
different stand-points. It is necessary to
show the importance of this mantram in
order that the people may take to it with their
whole heart.

First of all, the mantram OM does hot
belong to any special language. Thinking it
to be a Sanskrit word and not belonging to
any other language, do nob reject it. It is
the name of God. This syllable comes to you
from within, no bojly teaches you this syllable.
It comes to you at birth. The child’s cry
resembles remarkably the sound oom Om,
Aam, a perverted form of OM. The word
OM comes from within to every child-

The true way to write OM is AUM.
According to the rules of Sanskrit Grammar

98 IN WOODS 01 aOD-EBALIZAMON.

A and U, when connected together, coalesce
in to 0. Even the mute can produce the
•sounds of A, U and M. Thus OM in its
entirety, in its parts, is brought to the world
by everybody and by himself. Ic is the
most natural word which can occur to any-
body. When boys are very happy in the
streets, their overflowing joy finds natural
expression in the noisy sound of prolonged 0,
which is simply OM cut short.

This sound occurs in every language,
Sanskrit, Persian, English, Japanese, all have
it in a more or less perfect form. This sound 0
is used on occasions when people get beyond
themselves ; when they are exhilerated, when
they are filled with joy, this sound naturally
comes to them. When people fall sick or are in
trouble, when they are suffering excruciating
pain, what sound finds utterance through
their lips ? It is Oh, Uh or Urn, which is a
mere corruption of OM. The Hebrew, the
Arabic, the English prayers end with Amen, j
which most remarkably resembles OM. The (
last letter in the Greek alphabet is Omega j

ving the sound OM a prominent place. |

I

f’,

h

i

, THE KINGDOM OP HBA,VBN. 99

Why should this sound come to every
body, why should this sound come from the
lips of everbody in illness, be he a European,
American, Hindu, Persian, Japanese, or of any
denomination ? The Hindu answers. This
flound is like a beautiful tree yielding a cool
shade to the sick man who is being scorched
by the burning Sun, so naturally does this
sick person seek the cool shelter of the sprea-
ding tree. Thus it is that everybody when
sick or Buffeing naturally resorts to this
syllable OM, this natural sound. It gives him
a little relief. We See it naturally brings
relief under all circnmstanoes ; the sick are
relieved by chanting this sound. If it can
bring relief even to the sick and suffering,
may it not bring peace and harmony if you
sing it in the right way ? We call it pranava
and mean by it something that pervades life
or runs through prana or breath. Every
animal sends forth this sound, it is associated
with his breath. If you breathe forcibly so
as to make respiration audible, you will see
that the sound if represented by an articulate
word is Soham, Soham, (breathing through

100 IN WOODS OS’ GOD-EEALIZATION.

‘the nose). This sound is in the breath of all ;
now in this we see S O-H-A M,

Sanskrit Grammar is more developed than
any other in the world. It has analysed all
sounds and all words perfectly. M is called
a consonanb hut this consonant is nasal and
it is proved that M is a consonant which
borders on vowelhood. 0 and A are vowels
according to all Grammars. S and H are
consonants. Throw aside the consonants and
we have 0, A, M, or OM.

Now, you see that the vowels are inde-
pendent sounds and the consonants are de-
pendent sounds, they cannot stand alone or
by themselves.. For instance, here is the con-
sonant K ; you . call it Kay, in Sanskrit it
is Ka (^) ; you must join a vowel like ‘e’
or ‘a’ to the original sound of the consonant
and then it becomes capable of being pro-
nounced.

Consonants represent name and form in
this world. All names and forms in this
world are like consonants, dependents. Can
an}’’ of them stand alone without the supreme
reality behind them ? All phenomena consist’

THE KINGDOM OE psiYEN. 101

of names and forms which cannot be pro-
nounced without an underlying noumenon or
reality, substratum, God, the Unknowable
or whatever you may choose to call it. The
underlying reality is proved to be the abso-
lute Being, absolute Knowledge and absolute
Bliss, denoted respectively by A, U and M.
Thus in Soham the consonants S and H stand
for the phenomenal names, form and shape,
and the inherent OM represents the underly-
ing reality.

If we have toys made of sugar but of
various shapes, some in the shape of a dog,
some in the shape of an ox, some in the shape
of a lion, some in the shape of a man, they
differ from one another, but all the difference
lies in mere shapes and forms and names.
Being made out of one substance all of them
are the same sugar, ' '

Go to the ocean. There you will find a
ripple here and a ripple there, a breaker here
and a breaker there, differing in size and
ripple, but look at the reality behiod them, it
is the one ocean ; all are the same they are all
water ; the difference lies in shape and form.

102 IN WOODS OP GOD-KBALIZATION.

Take up the diamond so brilliaut, so
sparkling, so dazzling, so hard that it will cut
iron easily ; then take charcoal so soft that
it will easily leave a mark on paper, so dirty,
so ugly, so worthless. Chemists tell us that
there is no difference in reality between the
two. Both are the same carbon, no difference
whatever between the two. Then what makes
the apparent difference, it is the difference
in the shape and form. The condition and
shape of the particles of carbon in one is
different from the other, the only difference
is in form.

Similarly, according to Hindu Philoso-
phy, all separate divisions in this world are
due to name and form. If you live deep into
the bottom, if you analyse the underlying
reality in all names and forms, you will see
that there is One unchangeable, everlasting,
immutable principle behind all. That Reality
stands by itself. That Reality might be com.
pared to the vowel sounds, and the name and
form might well be compared to the consonant
soiinds. Thus in So- ham, ‘s’ and ‘h’ represen-
ting name and form, something dependent.

THE KIISGDOM OF HEAVEN. l0&

being omitted, only Reality remains and w©
come to the syllable AUM— OM. Thus OM is
the reality vs^hich runs through your breath..
It is present in all breath of the world, it is
the most natural name of the Power which is'
at the back of all difference, all divisions, all
separateness, the most natural name for the
Reality.

Professor Max Muller and other philoso*
phers with him have proved that all thought
is related to language as the obverse and.
reverse of the same coin. One cannot exist
without the other. Could you see this object,
the table, without thinking of it ? Could you.
preceive anything else without thinking ac-
cordingly ? The very word ‘perceive’ signifies
mental thought.

Again, thought and language are th©
same ; you cannot think without language..
The infant knows no language and has no '
thought. Let the child begin to think, it
cannot until it has language. The mother
breathes names into the ears of the child ;.
the meaning of names are being breathed into
the heart of the boy. The meaning is relateid

lt}4 m WOODS OB' GOD-EBALIZATION.

to the words of the mother as the rider to the
horse. Upon the horse of words the rider of
rheaning rides into the soul of the child.

We cannot think without language.
Thought and language are one, and we have
already seen that the world and thought are
also one. Therefore language and thought
being in a way identical, and also thought
and the world being identical, word and the
world are kin to each other. No object in this
world is observed without thought, Try to
see an object and do not let its conception
enter your mind it will be impossible. In
fact perceiving the blackboard means think-
ing of the blackboard.

' ' All objects of this world are the counter-
part of the corresponding idea. Nothing is
perceived in this world without thought ; and
there can be no thought without language.
The world is related to language as the
obverse and reverse of the same point. This
tells you the real truth or the real signifi-
cance of “ In the beginning there was the
word, the word was with God and the word
was God,”

THE KINGDOM OF HBAVBH. 106

Now, we want to have a single word or
sound which will represent the whole world,
We want some word which will represent the
power, the enegy, the force, the governing
substance, the thing in itself which upholds
the Universe.

In all the languages we have some sounds
which come from the throat, others -which
■come from the lips, others back in the mouth
near the palate. There is not a single sound
in any language which springs from a region
of the vocal organs below the throat. The
throat is the boundary, or rather one bound-
ary of the range of the vocal organs, the lips
are the other boundary. None comes from
outside the lips.

Here we have A, U, M; the sound A ‘is
guttural. This comes from one boundary of
the vocal organs,

U (oo) proceeds exactly from the middle
of the range of sounds, middle of the vocal
regions near the palate.

M is labial and nasal sound at the end or
nxtremitj’’ of the vocal organs or regions.
Thus A represents the beginning of the range

106 IN WOODS OS' GOD-EBALIIZATION.

of sound; U represents the middle, and M
represents the end. It covers the whole field.
OM, OM is the most natural name. It repre-
sents all language and consequently all world.
Here arises a question. There are many other
sounds which are located in the throat like
A. Similarly U and M have many kindred-
sounds. Why should not any other guttural
chosen arbitrarily and joined with any other
sound akin to U and also to any other kind-
red labial of form, a word to represent all
languages ?

Similarly, out of all the other sounds
which proceed from the same region as IT
(oo), is the only sound which may be called
the lord, the chief, the monarch of them
all. It is a vowel, a sound brought out
by every child. A mute has it with him,
it was not taught by others, it came of
itself and is consequently the best repre-
sentative of its kind. M is the best represen-
tation of all the labials. There is another
peculiarity about it. It is nasal and covers
up all the field of the nose which is the seat
of the breath. Thus we see that if there

THE EINGDOM 01* HBAVEN. lOT”

could be any perfect name, it is OM. This is
the representa tive of all languages. It is the
representative of all thought. It is the repre-
sentative of the whole world.

All the Vedanta, nay, all the philosophy
of the Hindus is simply an exposition of this
syllable OM. OM covers the whole Universe.
There is not a law, not a force in the whole
world, not an object in all the world which is
not comprised by the syllable OM. One by
one you will see that all the planes of being,,
all the worlds, all phases of existence are
covered by this syllable A U M, OM.

Sounds are of two kinds, articulate and
inarticulate. We call them Varnatmak and
Dhvany aimak. These Sanskrit names are
full of meaning. Varnatmak means literally
“sounds capable of being put in black and
white.’’ Dhvanyatmak means “sounds which
cannot be put in writing.” All ordinary lan-
guage is Varnatmak. The language of feeling
is Dhvanyamak ; it cannot be expressed by
characters or written in words.

A man laughs Could you express that in
any written language ? Could you represent,

108 IN WOODS OF GOD-BBALIZATION.

■that on paper ? A man weeps, that you
■cannot pat on paper. These are .Dhvanyatmah
We see that in the articulate sounds, or the
natural language, Dhvanyatmak, have a pur-
pose which cannot be served by Varnatmah.
Suppose some of you go to a foreign country,
•or a foreigner comes to your country, he
cannot speak or understand your language.
He requires something, perhaps, he wants to
■puichase something. You do not understand
him. Perhaps the man iis hungry, requires
something to eat ; not understanding his
language you do not attend to his needs.
The man begins to cry and to weep. You
then understand, then you see. This langu-
age of feeling is understood everywhere, but
the Yarnatmak or artificial language is under-
stood by those only who have learned it.
The natural language is understood every-
where.

You begin to laugh, all understand that
something funny or pleasing has occurred to
you or is within you. Here is a man who
plays on a musical instrument, say, the
violin ; you know the harmony. The language

THB KINGDOM Off HBAYffN. 109’

of music is DhvanyatmaJc and understood bj
everybody.

In the Merchant of Venice we read

“therefore the poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods-
Since naught so stockish, hard and full of rage
But music for the time doth change his nature.” ■
The language of music is not of the same
kind as the language of our thought. It has
a particular use, there is a charm about it.
Science may or may not be able to prove
how and why music produces such a charming
influence upon you, but it remains a fact. If
Science cannot prove it, then it is to blame
for that. Similarly, OM, OM has a charm
about it, an efficiency, a virtue in it which
directly brings the mind of one, who chants
it, under control, which directly brings all
feeling and all thought in a state of harmony
brings peace and rest to the soul and puts
the mind in a state where it is one with God.
Science may not be able to explain this, bub
this is a fact which can be verified by experi-
ment. Woe unto Science if it goes against,
the truth connected with the efficacy of the'
sacred syllable OM.

LECTURE VI.

THE SACRED SYLLABLE OM.

Lecture delivered at the Sermetic Brotherhood
Hall, San Francisco, on December 33, 1903.

The other day a few words were spoken
■on the sacred mantram OM and it was also
explained that the subject could not be ex-
hausted in seven or eight lessons. Volumes
have been written in the Sanskrit language
and are still being written to-day on this sac-
red syllable. In fact, all the Vedas, all
Vedaota, all the sacred Scriptures of the
Hindus are contained in this syllable Om.

There are many different sects in India,
but all the sects pay their heartfelt homage
to OM. The Hebrews, the Mahomedans and
the Christians, all end their prayers with
‘‘Amen.’ Cdahomedans also do that, although
they do not pronounce the word as ‘Amen
the ‘A ween.’

THE SAORBD SYLLABLE OM. Ill

In your ordinary prayer what part does
*Amen’ play ? It comes in at a place where
all speech stops, where all talk terminates at
a point where the soul melts into Divinity.
You go oh pouring the language of the heart
until that point is reached where the whole
being is about to be melted into Divinity.
Where the ineffable, the unspeakble, the
inexpressible is reached, there is Amen. Then
what is Amen ? It is OM, nothing else. In
all your sacred prayers Amen or Ameen occu-
pies a place that exactly satisfies the mean-
ing of the word Vedanta or ‘ end of speech,’
and very nearly represents the essence of
Vedanta, that is OM.

The literal meaning of Vedanta is the end
of knowledge, the end of speech ; a point
where all speech, all thought stops, and
among the Hindus the whole of V edanta is
represented by OM. The meaning in which
that word is used in the Vedas will now be
brought to your notice — OM, A. U. M.

The Tantrios explain OM in their own
way. The Shaivas have their own way. The
Vaishnavas have their own interpretation.

.112 IN WOODS ON god-eealizaot:on.

and all other Hindu eeots have their perciiliar
explanation, but the interpretation that i&
about to be given is universal; it is to b&
given at the very fountain-head of the Ve-
danta.

OM consists of A, TJ, M. The sound A,
•in accordance with the teachings of Vedanta,
represnts the so called material Universe,
the solid -seeming world, the world of gross
senses, all that is observed in your wakeful
state. ,

All the experiences of the dreamland are
represented by U (oo). The observer as well
as the things observed, both the subject and
the object of the dreaming state, are denoted
by the sound U. The psychic or astral plane,
the world of spirits and all the heavens and
hells are signified by U.

M represents all the unknown, the deep
sleep state, and even in your Wakeful state all
that is unknown, all that is beyond compre-
hension of the intellect. Thus OM or A-U-M
covers all the three-fold experience of man.
Stands for all the phenomenal worlds. There
is in A-U-M the common principle called

THE SAOEBD SYLLABLE OM.

118

Amatra, that which signifies the imperishable,
immutable noumenon or the thing in itself run.
ning through and pervading the threefold
phenomena. This Amatra will be treated fully
in another lecture. Suffice it to say that OM
represents the All.

All the philosophy of Europe and America
is based on the experience in the wakeful
state and takes little or no notice of the
experience of the dreaming or deep sleep
state. The Hindu says, “You start with
imperfect data. How can your solution of the
problem of the Universe be correct? ”

Philosophers limit themselves to the wake*
ful state. Mill, Hamilton, Berkeley, even
Spencer, and all of them base all their dis-
coveries and investigations on the experience
gained in the wakeful state alone. There they
want to discover the fountain-head of all force,
energy, or any name they may please to call
it. But see here, if you are given a mathe-
matical problem and are asked to draw a
conclusion, all the premises, the whole hypo-
thesis you will have to consider. How can
you solve a problem correctly when you take

iii IN WOODS OS' GOD-EEALIZATION.

up only a part of the data? Vedanta takes
the whole data. Tour data are threefold, your
Wordly experiences are threefold, and all this
should be considered. The world of wakeful
fetate disappears entirely in the other two
states and yet you, that is to say, the Self,
live in a dream state and in the deep sleep
State you are dead, are you? The intellect
and personal consciousness vanishes entirely
in the deep sleep state and yet the real Self,
the real ‘ you * remains the same. The un-
changeable and immutable principle, this
reality runs through the threefold worlds, in
your true Atman or Self. This is OM. You
have no right to take mind, intellect, or brain
as yourself. How do you know that the world
exists, how do you know that the Universe is »
here? Because you touch things, you see
things, you hear things, you taste and smell
things : that is the only proof. If you say, here
is Victor Hugo, Robert Ingersol, Emerson, j'
■all these great thinkers are writing so much f

about this world, and so the world must (

’exist, and we ask how do you know that 1

religious books are there ? You know t hey ^

THE SACEBD SYLLABLE OM. 11&

are there through the senses. Your senses
are the only direct or indirect proof of the
existence of this world.

Sensation is the primary cause of all per-
ception, intellection, etc. Sensation is not
limited to your wakeful state. In your wake-
ful state, your senses are in the gross form,
but do you not sense and perceive in your
dreams, have you not sense organs peculiar to
that time? The outer eyes and the outer ears
are not working there. In the dreamland you
create objects of senses and the correspond-
ing sense organs or senses simultaneously.
Thus we see that in the dreamland the senses
and the objects sensed are like the positive
and negative poles of the same power or as
the obverse and reverse of the same coin. In
dreatns the subject and the object spring up
together. Both the Subject and the object of
dreams are comprised by the sound U in
A-U-M and the underlying reality in which
both the subject and the object appear as
waves is the real Atman or OM. According
to Vedanta, just so in your wakeful state your
senses and the objects are co- related to each

116 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

other as the positive and negative poles of
the same power. In dreams even though the
objects are produced instantaneously, they
appear to have a long past of their own.
Similarly in the wakeful state the objects of
the world together with their past history
make their appearance simultaneously with
the percipient subject. And when you say that
this world is real, this is the solid, rigid world,
the statement is' entirely founded on the
evidence of the perceiving senses or subject,
and is equivalent to the dreaming ego calling
the objects of the dream real, or to the man
calling his dog in the picture on canvas real,
whereas in reality both are unreal.

What brought the senses into existence ?
The elements. How do you know of these
elements ? Through tlie senses. Is not that
reasoning in a circle ? This establishes the
illusory nature of the world in the wakeful
state. As in dreamland, so long as you are
dreaming, the objects are real. Those objects
are no more when in the wakeful state. In
the wakeful state all things are solid but
when in deep sleep state, where is the world ?

THE SAOEBD SYLLABLE OM. 117

Nowhere, -r-gone, gone. Here we see that;
the definition of reality does not apply to the
phenomena of the waking or dreaming state.

The Hindus define reality as that which
persists in all circumstances. That which
appears to be at one time and like a shadow
disappears after a while must be a dilusive
phenomenon. The same definition of reality
is given by Herbert Spencer.

Why do you say that the dreamland is
unreal ? Because when you are awake it is
not there. Then so does this very definition
of unreality apply to the wakeful state. When
in the dreamland or deep sleep state, the
wakeful world is no longer.

The sound A in A-U-M indicates the
apparent subject and object of the w^(k6ful
state as mere manifestations of the underlying
Reality, Me.

What a prejudice has ovurtaken cue .heart
of man. They say “ I have hard c ish This
is real, this gross, solid-seeming wo? 'd,” 0
fool, the only hard reality is your Self — Un-
changeable, eternal is your Self, that is the
only hard thing. The rest is all a trick of

118 IN WOODS OF aOD-EBALIZATION.

the seiases. Some people do DOt like to
accept this conclusion, because it is derived
from considering the dreaming and deep
sleep states as rivals of the wakeful state. A
few words will be said for their consideration.
Over one-half of the surface of this big cipher
of the Earth there being always night, almost
half the population of the Earth is always
in the dreaming or deep sleep state. Every
body at some place passes through the sleep-
ing experience just as much as through the
wakeful experience. Is not the whole of
childhood a long sleep ? Death again is sleep.
Well, the first three or four years you have
been all along asleep. Now count the time,
the hours passed in the wakeful state ; you
will be astonished to see that one half of your
life is passed in sleep and one-half in waking.
What right have you to take into considera-
tion what took place in the wakeful state and
not what took place in the sleeping state ?
Are you dead when you are asleep ? No,
the experiences of your dream-state are also
experiences, then why not take them into
consideration ? If the wakeful state be more

THB. SACRID SYLLABLE OM. 119^

powerful, wjiy is it that even the strongest
and wisest without exception, are, as it were,
bound hand and foot by sleep and laid flat on
the sofa or couch every night? The inexor-
able power of sleep takes no account of theii*
ardent desire to keep awake. The sleep state-
has a world of its own as has also the wake-
ful state. Then if the wakeful world has any
claim on attention, the dream world also must
be duly considered.

Americans and Europeans determine
everything from the stand-point of majority..
Well then, the dreaming state as well as the
deep sleep state are also to have a vote. I£
on the aurhority of wakeful experience the
dreaming experience is unreal, so is the wake-.,
ful experience non-real on the authority ot
dreamland and deep sleep states. Again here
are plants in a state of perpetual deep sleep-
and here are animals in the constant dream-^
ing state, as it were. To them the world,
appears quite different from what it does to
you ; why not regard their experience ? To>
the ant’s eye, the frog’s eye, the owl’s eye,,
the elep mnt’s eye, things are quite different,

120 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION.

from what they are to you. 0, hut you say
man’s experience alone must he considered
And the wakeful state or the wakeful world
must be called real. But if you rightly take
the experience of all the perfect men, even
that will convince you that this solid-
seeming world is unreal. You will ask how
this is so ? Here are our Scientists, philo-
sophers, Huxleys and Spencers. All lay
immense stress upon the reality of the wake-
ful world. How can their experience show
the unreality of the world ? Just reflect.
Will you believe them at their best or at
their worst ? You will not take into con-
sideration their remarks made when they
are asleep or snoring. In what state are
these great writers at their best ? They are
at their best and worthy of all credit and
reverence when knowledge is as it were issu-
ing forth and springing from them. When
in that highest state, go to them and see if
every pore of their body, every hair on their
skin is not lecturing as it were as to the
non-reality of the world and proclaiming non-
duality. In that state there is no meum teiim,

THE SACRED SYLLABLE OM.

121

no duality , no plurality ; no personality, no
world. All phenomenon is melted down to
nothing. The thinker is in a state of con-
centration, a state of abstraction, a perfect
state, a state where all knowledge is naturally
oozing forth from him, a state where all
knowledge naturally comes from him as does
the light from the Sun. Being in that state
he does not talk ; talk comes when he is just
emerging from that plane ; disc/weries and
sublime thoughts are emanating from him.
Thus the actual experience of all great thin-
kers when at their highest, testifies to the
non-reality of the world. This may be made
more clear. What do we do when we think ?
When you think you proceed by dwelling
upon a topic. You take up one point, exclud-
ing all other subjects ; you concentr ite on it
with your whole mind ; all your energies and
powers are brought to bear upor -at parti-
cular point. The mind beconi* n saturated
with that idea. The result is ibati the idea
disappears and absolute super-C' nsciousness
results, absolute consciousness which is the
fountain-head of all inowledge.

122 m WOODd OS' GOD-KBAIilZATION.

According to a well-established Law of
Psychology, in order to be conscious of one
thing we must have something different be-
side it. When there is no duality in the mind,
then all object-con sciousness is at rest and
thus the point of inspiration is reached.

When Tennyson iS beyond all idea of
Lord Tennyson, then alone is he the poet
Tennyson. When Berkeley is no proprietary,
copyrighting Bishop, then alone is he the
thinker Berkeley. When Hume is above his
personality which the biographer proclaims,
then alone is he the philosopher Hume. When
Huxley is not the historian’s Huxley and
is the all, as it were, then is he the Scientist
Huxley.

When some grand and wonderful work is
done through us, it is folly to take the credit
for it, because when it was being done, the
creditseeking ego was entirely absent, else
the beauty of the deed should have been
marred. The consciousness of “I am doing”
was altogether absent. The thing came from
God of its own self. Thus we see that these
people, thinkers or great writers, whoever

THE SAOEBD SYLLABLE OM. 123>

they may be, if we take their judgment* their
opinion when at their best, they are .found'
lecturing and preaching by their acts, nay
through every pore of their body, that the
world ia unreal. ‘Acta speak louder than«
words.’ In battle we see great warriors and
great heroes ; being at their best they go on
fighting ; bullets fly thick and fast all about
them, there is a bullet, there is a wound; blood
gushes from their bodies ; their bodies are torn
to pieces, still they press on and on ; in such a
state pain is no pain. Why? Because practi-
cally the body is not body and the outside
•world no world. In the language of Energy
he is giving a lie to the world and body.
Thus your Napoleon, your Washington, your
Wellington, and all others tell you through
their acts, in spite of the belittling intellect
they tell you that when the real Self, which
is all Energy, asserts itself^ the world is-
naught. The real Self, which is Knowledge
Absolute and Power Absolute, is the only
stern reality, before which the apparent re-
ality of the world melts away.

What makes the arms of the warrior

124 IN WOODS OB' GOD EBALIZATION.

-strong ? It is coming into unison with the
stern, hard and fast reality of the true Self.

What causes so many discoveries and in-
ventions to be suggested to the mind ? Simply
the intellect or mind’s absorption for a short
time in the hard, stern reality of the real
Atman, God, That you are, Ye are that Reali-
ty, Ye are the Light of the Universe, the
Lord of lords, the Holy of holies, the Highest
of the high.

In the mantram OM (AU-M), the first
letter A stands for this stern Reality, your
Self, as underlying and manifesting the
illusory material world of the wakeful state,
U represents the psychic world, and the last
letter M denotes the Absolute Self as underly-
ing the chaotic state and manifesting itself as
all the Unknown.

When chanting OM, the wise have to con-
centrate tiheir attention and put forth feelings
in realising their Self to be the stern Reality
which manifests the three worlds and also
destroys the three worlds, just as the Sun
reveals the colours at sunrise or dawn and also
absorbs them back into himself before noon.

THE SAORED SYLLABLE 'OM. 126-

These worlds are phenomenal In your
dreaming state you see a wolf and fear that
the wolf will devour you ; you are frightened,
but it is not a wolf that you see, it is yourself.
So Vedanta tells you that even in the wakeful
state it is “Te that are the enemy or the
friend.” Ye are the Sun and the pond in
which the Sun is reflected. Ye are the lamp
and the moth. The bitterest enemy that ye
have, ye are that enemy, nobody else. While
chanting OM, you have to work your mind up-
to such a pitch of realisation of this fact that
ail jealousy and ill-will may be rooted out of
the mind, may be voted out. Weed out this
idea of separateness. The figure and form of
the friend or foe is a mere dream. You are
the friend and you are the foe. Are the things
you did yesterday with you to-day? Are they
not a dream? They are gone. The things of
yesterday — ^where are they, are they not gone?'
In this sense also the experience of the' wake-
ful state is a dream ; the experience of the-
dream state is a dream. The real, the hard
cash, the stern reality, the real Self is behind
them. Realise that.

126 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION.

Some people want to materialise thought
instead of realising all mat^ier to be mere
thought. They regard the material plane to
be real as compared with the Astral world or
•the world of thought. According to Vedanta,
the material as well as the Astral worlds are
unreal. You must rise above both because
rest, true peace, happiness can be had onljr
when the reality, the hard cash behind the
scenes, is realised.

In ATJM, A (ah) is sometimes called a
Matra or form, U is often called a Matra or
form, M is called a Matra or form ; but OM
•does not stop at Matra or form, it stands for
the Reality, the hard cash which runs
through, #hioh underlies all these Matras,
People say “We want life, we don’t want mere
ideas.” 0, what is Life ? Is it the life of the
■dream state or the deep sleep state or is it, the
life of the wakeful state that you want ? All
this is only apparent. The reality, the true
life is your Self. There are stern laws which
will not allow you enjoyment of pleasure for
•ever through the senses. Is it possible for you
to sell yourself to the senses, to the sense-

TSE SAORBD S'^LEABLE OH. 127

plane and be happy? No, ifc is impossible.
There are most unrelenting, , unrestrainable
laws which cannot allow you to be happy in
sensual pleasure.

The Atman is the real life, the hard cash.
Realise that and these material pleasures will
begin to seek you. Just as the moth comes tp
the burning flame, just as the river flows to
the ocean, just as the small official pays his
■respects to a great Emperor, just so will plea-
sures come to you when you have perfectly
known and felt your true Self, your Divine
Majesty, the real glorious Atman. This Atman
is represented by OM.

It has been shown how out of A-TJ-M, these
three Matras, the Hindus, especially the
Vedas give you a clue to the underlying Re-
ality that you are. OM means the underlying
Reality behind the scenes, the eternal Truth,
the indestructible Self that you are. Thus
when you sing this sacred man tram OM,
you will have to throw your intellect and
your body into your true Self, make these
melt into the' real Atman, Realize it
and sing in the language of feeling, sing it

128 IN WOODS OP GOD-EBALIZATION.

with yoar acts sing it through every pore of
your body. Let it course through your veins^
let it pulsate in your boosona, let every hair
on your body and every drop of your blood'
tingle with the truth that you are the Light
of lights, the Sun of suns, the Ruler of the
Universe, the Lord of lords, the true Self. The
Sun and stars are your handiwork and the
heavens and earth your workmanship. Every-
thing declares your glory, and all Nature

pays you homage.

OM! OM!! OM!!!

LECTURE VIL

GOD WITHIN.

i

i

> Lecture delivered at the Hermetic Brotherhood

•: Hall, San Francisco, on December Sd, 1908.

if

; In the Books of Moses we read that God

f

I created the world. He saw his own handiwork

! and lo, it was beautiful and sublime. We

•; read about it in the Book of Genesis, and so

it is. You know that the attitude of mind,
j expressed by “Thy Will be done, 0 Lord’*

; receives a much stronger expression from
Yedanta. The Hindu puts it, “My Will is
I being done,. My Will is being done.” When

\ the wife identifies her will with her husband’s

I will, she can joyfully say “My will is being

done”, and she need not pray, “Thy will be
done”, for , they are not two but one. She
has had to make a great effort to make her
will bend to the will of her lord, but when

190 m WOODS OF GOD-HBALIZA.TION.

througli repeated efforts the faithful wife has
conquered the difference, she enjoys the
doings of her husband as her own doings. So
does a Vedantin enjoy everything in the
world as of his own doing. To men of
enlightenment,

Stone walls do not a prison make,

Nor iron-bars a cage,

Minds innocent and quiet take,

That for a hermitage.

On the other hand, ignorant people, not
knowing their true Self, given to egotism
and selfishness, make even their palaces and
castles worse than gaols, graves and hells.
By their petty cares, low sordid desires, and
imaginary fears and apprehensions they forge
their own chains.

Vedanta shows you that your happiness
is your own business; why are worldly desires
to interfere ? Eealize the truth and you are
' free. Vedantio realization is hard to achieve,
because the vast majority of people in Europe
and America think that they have to change
themselves into God, that they have to create
the God-head in them. According to Vedanta

GOD WITHIN.

131

the self-evident truth, is that you are already
Ood, nothing else but God. Your God-head
is not to be effected, it is simply to be known
and realized or felt. You have to put it into
practice, you have to make use of it. Here is
a man who has a vast treasure in his house,
and has forgotten it. Here is another man
Who has no treasure in his house. They both
begin lo dig for treasure. The man who
has the treasure but has forgotten it will, by
digging, come across it, but the man who has
no treasure buried in the house will find it
not. The treasure is there ; be stingy or
miserly no more ; bring it into use. You
have not to put the treasure there, you have
simply to use it. Your soul is not impure
and sinful by nature, it has not fallen through
the sin of one man, and does not depend
upon the virtue of another man to save it.

Here is a blackboard, a hard, solid
substance. Suppose you rub the blackboard
and rub and scrub it again. Can you make
it transparent ? No. Take a looking-glass; it
piay be soiled, dusty or dirty, but when you
olean it, it is transparent. You have not

132 IN WOODS or GOD-EEALIZATION.

made it transparent by your efforts, you have
simply brought out what was already there.
The blackboard was not of the nature of
transparency and could not be made trans-
parent by any effort.

The inherent belief strongly ingrained in
every man about the possibility of his 'salva-
tion, proves the intrinsic purity and sinlesS-
ness of the soul which is only apparently
sullied for a time. This universal, native
belief gives the lie to the unnatural dogmai
that the real Soul is sinful by nature, and
would lead us to the conclusion that, like. the
blackboard, it can never be made transparent
or pure, Man’s true natute is G-od. If God
were not man’s own self, never could there
be the advent of any prophet or saint in this
world.

Rama says, “Be not afraid; come out;
rally all your strength and energies and
boldly take possession of your birthright ;
I am He.” Be not afraid, tremble not.

When walking on Mount Sinai, Moses
saw a bush aflame. He asked, “ Who are
you ; who is there ?” He may not have spoken

GOD WITHIN.

133

aloud, but he was very curious as to the
marvellous blaze which lighted up but did
not burn the bush. The answer came out
from the bush. “I am what I am.” This pure
“I am” is your Self.

Your Atma, your real nature is like the
transparent diamond, the resplendent crystal,
i^lace beside it something black and the
crystal appears black ; place beside the pure
crystal something red and the pure crystal
appears to be red, and so on. In reality the
pure crystal is colourless. It is beyond all
tints, beyond all redness, blackness or any
other colour ; it is what it is. Similarly, the
Atma of yours, the true Self of yours is
* “What it is.” It is pure “I am.”

Here is a man in India. He places beside
that pure Self, the pure Atma, a dark rag,
the Hindu colour, and the Atma, crystal-
like, is tinctured as it were with that colour.
The pure “I am” becomes ”1 am a Hindu.”
In America, beside the the true Self, the pure
crystal, the Atma that is colourless and
beyond all name and form, a Yankee places,
say, a yellosv rag and the unadulterated

134 IN WOPDS OF GOD'EHALIZATION.

“I am” is coloured .as “I am an Amerioau.”^
There comes another persou, and beside the
pure Atma and the transparent crystal, he
places, say, a red rag or red piece of paper
and the pure “I am” is tinctured as ‘T am a
wroman.” Another places beside the Atma
another Mnd of colour, and says “I am a
.Master of Arts.” Hence we see one says
‘T am a Christian”, another says “I am a
Hindu,” the third says “I am a Yankee,” the
fourth says “I am John Bull,” the fifth says
‘‘I am a child,” the sixth, “I am a woman,”
the seventh, “I am a lion,” the eighth, ‘T am
a tiger,” and so on. Here the pure, true Self,
the untinotured, unsoiled, sparkling Atma,
Om, or ‘I am” is common to all, and is one
and the same, unchangeable ; there is in
reality no colouring in it. The .colouring is
put there by your own ignorant predication.
Take a transparent glass and place beside it
some colour. The colour does not sink into
it ; it is simply reflected in it and not attached
to it. Crystal is always pure and colourless.
The ” I am ” is all pervading, universal :
it is present everywhere in you. The

GOD WITHIN, 135

lion and the tiger show forth the same
thought of ‘‘I am.” This pure “I am ” yoa.
are, You have no right to identify yourself
with the coloured piece of paper or rag beside
you, for there was a time when this simple
unadulterated Atma inhabited another form.
The “I am” occupied another body. There
was a time that you felt “I am a lion” or
“ I am an ox,” in Some previous birth.

Freedom and happiness you achieve by
realizing the true Self, the real “1 am,?’ which
is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.
The pure “I am” is untouched by time,,
because in the previous birth the pure, “I
am” remained the same. It is not sullied by
space, because all these bodies are possessed
by the self same “I am.” All time is simply
‘Now’ to it and all distance ‘ Here” This
pure word “I am” signifies eternal realityj,
the immutable Truth, Now, it is this “1 am”
that is represented by OM. The pure “I am,”

‘‘ I am He ” is represented by OM.

OM, according to the Persian language
is 0-Am, or ‘‘I am He” “I am Brahma,” OM
represents the pure idea of “I am.”

136 IN WOODS OS’ GOD-RBALIZATION.

In a thousand foims Thou attempt surprise,

Yet, all-beloved One, straight know I Thee. .

Thou may with magic veils Thy face disguise,

And yet, all present One, straight know I Thee.

Upon the cypress’s purest, youthful bud,

All-beauteous growing One, straight know I Thee:

In the canal’s unsullied, living flood »

All captivating One, well know I Thee.

When spreads the water-column, rising proud,

All sportive One, how gladly know I Thee^

When, e’en in forming is transformed the cloud,

All figure changing One, there know I The^.

Veiled in the meadow’s carpet’s flowery charms,

All chequered starry fair One, know 1 Thee;

And if a plant extend its thousand arms,

O, all embracing One, there know I Thee.

When on the mount is kindled morn’s sweet fight,
Straightway, all gladdening One, salute I Thee,

The arch of heaven o’erliead grows pure and bright,
All heart-expanding One, then breathe I Thee.

That which my inward, outward sense proclaims,

Thou all-instructing One, 1 know through Thee ;

And if I utter Allah’s hundred names,

A name with each one echoes meant fgr Thee,

GOD WITHIN.

137

Ranaa wants to say a few words about
Moses. When Moses heard a voice in the
bush, he found a hissing snake beside him.
Moses was frightened out of his wits; he
trembled ; his breast was throbbing ; all the
blood almost curdled in his veins ; he was
undone. A voice cried unto him. “Fear
not, 0 Moses ; catch the snake; hold it fast;
dare, dare to catch hold of it.” Moses
trembled still and again the voice cried unto
him. “Moses, come forth, catch hold of the
snake.’’ Moses caught hold of it and lo, it
was a beautiful and most splendid staff. Now
what is meant by this story ? The snake
(sanp) stands for Truth (sanck). You know
according to the Hindus and other Orientals,
Truth or Final Reality is repre8e,nted by the
snake (Shesh). The snake coils up itself in a
spiral form, making circles within circles,
and puts its tail back into its mouth. And so
we see in this world we have circles within
, circles ; everything repeating itself by going
round and round and extremes meeting. This
is a universal law or principle which ruds
through the whole Universe.

138 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION.

To catch hold of the scake means to put
yourself boldly into the f)Osition of the Wielder
of Divine Law, or Ruler of the Univeree. Pat
yourself boldly in that position and realize
your oneness with Divinity.

Moses belonged to a tribe living in slavery.
The* Jews were badly off in those days.
They were driven from their country and
had become wanderers. Owing to the numer-
ous persecutions to which they had been
subjected, it was but natural for them to
believe in a God who was a tyrant out and
out ; a God who was a perfect autocrat.

If bullocks were to gather together to
form a religious parliament, what would be
their definition of God ? They would define or
describe God as a great majestic Bullock that
could frighten any other bullock to death.
If lions should form a religious parliament of
their own, their idea of God would be that
of the largest aud strongest Lion, the most
fierce Lion of them all. Can you conceive
anything beyond your capacity? Can you
jump outside yourself? No, let lions sit in
judgment and begin to think of God and they

GOD WITHIN.

139'

make him a big formidable Lion. Similarly,,
if frightened people sit in judgment and
begin to think of God, they cannot help con-
ceiving God as a great slave Owner, a Bug-
bear, a great Master, a terrifying Ruler. Thus
the Jews naturally portrayed Divinity as a
gigantic, magnificent Ruler, a grand Master.

In most Oriental and especially Semetio
languages, the world for God is Malik, which
is often translated as Master. A few words
about the 'origin of this name will not be out
of place here.

The Jews had many tribes, and each tribe
had a god of its own. The god of one tribe
was at one time called Moloch. In the mutual
warfare of these tribes, this tribe of Israel
gained the ascendency, and consequently the
god of this tribe, Moloch, overpowered all
other gods and became the god of all Jews..
This gives the origin of the name Malik
or Master for the monotheistic personal
God of the Semetios. At that time the idea of.
a monotheistic Master was the science of the
day ; it was their attempt to penetrate into
the gulf of the unknown. It suited them.

140 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

Oircamstances are ehacged now; moat people
do not want monarchy; they want self-
government ; they want freedom in America,
and they want freedom in England and every-
where, Science has progreased. Everything
has evolved and advanced. It is high time
for the old, overbearing and domineering
conception of God to evolve into the freedom
inspiring idea of “I am God” as taught by
Vedanta. Just as tbe absolute monarchy of
England was limited step by step, so it is time
to take away from this tyrant of a personal
God all his powers and achieve religious
freedom.

The Jews lived in political thraldom, their
.god ought to have been a Master distinct
from them. You enjoy political and social
freedom, your god ought to be your own Atma
or Self. These are the daj s when people do
not want to live in slavery. Bondage and
thraldom is fast departing ; evolution is at
work and everything must progress upward
and onward. Should your personal God alone
be at a standstill ? Bo.

At one time God had a rival' Satan, and

GOD WITHIN,

141'

God had some angels and servants to limit
His being. He created the world in seven
dfiys. When was it? It was when Mosea
wrote his. Books. You know several thousand
years have passed since the days of Moses.
The world has undergone a revolution. What
kind of God is He Who does not grow? Every-
thing must grow and evolve. By this time
your God should have no rival like Satan
beside Him. There should be nothing else
to limit His being. He should he above the
profession of an architect, world*builder or
maker. It is high time for the whole world
to take up Vedanta. It is high time for the
whole world to dare to take up and grasp this
hissing serpent of Truth. ' Absolute Truth
comes to you and tells you that you are God ;
that God is not separate from you ; that God
is not in this heaven or that hell, but in your
own Self. Here in the realization of this idea
you have absolute Freedom.

Why depress your brains through feara
and why raise up your energies in supplica-
tions ? Represent your inner nature ; crush,
not the truth, come out boldly ; cry fearlessly

142 m WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

at the top of your voice “I am God, I am
•Go 1,” That is your birthright.

Ordinary people are in the same state of
mind in which Moses was when he heard the
voice. Moses was in a state of slavery, .and
when he saw the serpent he trembled. So it
da with the pedple when they hear this seund *
“I am,” this pure knowledge; the pure truth
•OM. When they hear this, they tremble and
hesitate, they dare not catch hold of it. Words
like the following sound like a hissing serpent
to the people : Ye- are Divinity Itself, the
Holy of holies ; the World is no World ; You
-are the All in all the Supreme Power, the
Power which no words can describe, no
body or mind, ye are the pure “I am’*, that
you are.

Throw aside this little yellow, red, or
black piece of paper from beside the crystal,
wake up in your reality and realise. “I am
He,” “I am the All in all.” People want to
■shuu it. They fear the serpent. Oh ! do catch
hold of the saake, and then, 0 wonder of
wonders, this snake will become the staff of
royalty in your hands. The hissing serpent

GOD WITHIN.

143

will feed you v^heii you are hungry, will
quench your thirst when you are thirsty,
will sweep off all difficulties and sorrows
from your way.

When in the woods, Moses touched a rock
with this staff, aud bubling, sparkling water
■came out from the rock. When the Israelites
were fleeing for safety, they had to cross
‘the Red Sea. There this terrible sea stood
before them as a gapping grave to devour
them. Moses touched the Red Sea with this
staff and the waters split in twain, dry land
■appeared and the Israelites passed over it.

This apparent hissing snake, this Truth
-appears to be awful, but you have only to
•dare to pick it up and hold it fast. To your
wonder you will find yourself the Monarch
of the Universe, the Master of the elements,
the Ruler of the stars, the G-overnor of skies,
you will find yourself to be the All. People
■have a shyness in applying this truth and
■embracing this Divine principle. Come up, .
hesitate not. Take hold of this truth fear-
lessly. Make bold to hug it to your bosom
and make it yourself. Realise the Truth

144 m WOODS OP aOD-EBALIZATION.

and the Truth will make you free.

It 19 a sin not to say ‘I am God.” It is*
the worst theft to steal the Atma. It is-
falsehood and atheism to say ‘T am a man or
woman” or to call yourself a poor crawling
creature. Do not play the miser's part. The
miser has all the treasures in his house, but
does not want to part with a single cent.
You have the whole world within you, the-
whole Universe is your own. Why hide it ?'
Why not bring it into use ? Put it into
practice ; drink deep of the nectar of your
own Self ! Why not gain your own natural
intrinsic kingship ?

The people in India call this Realization-
of the Absolute Truth, regaining of the for*
gotten necklace. There was a man who wore-
around his neck a most precious and long
necklace or garland. It slipped down the
back of his body by some means and he forgot
it. Not finding it dangling there on his breast
he began to search for it. The search was all
in vain. He shed tears and bewailed the loss-
of the priceless necklace. He asked some one
to find it for him, if possible, Well” said)

GOD WIOJBJW.

145

! some one to him, “If I find the necklace for
you, what will you ^ve me ?’’ The man
answered, ‘‘I will give you anything you ask.”^
The man reaching his hand to the neck of hra
( friend and touching the necklace said, '‘Here
I is the necklace. “It was not lost, it was still
I around your neck but you had forgotten it.*
I What a pleasant surprise ! Similarly, your
I Godhead is not outside yourself, you are

I already God, you are the same. It is strange

oblivion that makes you forgetful of your real
Self, your real Godhead. Remove this igno-
rance, dispel this darkness, away with it, and
I you are God already. By your nature yon

I are free; you have forgotten yourself in your

‘ state of slavery.

A king may fall asleep and find himself a
beggar; he may dream that he is a beggar, but
that can in no way interfere with his real
sovereignty.

j 0 King of kings, my dear Self in all these

I bodies, absolute monarch, quintessence of

blessing, 0 dear one, make not a slave of your-
self in the dream of ignorance. Arise and rula
in your Supreme Majesty, ye are God, ye could

1-46 IN WOODS. OB’ aOD-EEAMZATOON.

be nothing else. With, full force from within,
oaating away all hesitation, feebleness and
■weakness, jamp right into the pure “ I am ”
or Self. Ye are God ; He and I are one. What
a balmy thought, what a blessed idea. It
takes away all misery and unloads all o\ir
•burdens, Wander not outside yourself. Keep
your own centre. Archimedes said, ‘‘If I can
■ find a fixed fulcrum, a standpoint, I can move
the world,” Bat he could not find the fixed
point, poor fellow. The fixed point is within
you. It is your Self. Get hold of it and the
whole Universe is moved by you.

OM ! OM !! OM !!!

LECTURE VIII.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

Hermetic Brotherhood Hall, San Francisco,
December 26, 1902.

Chanting oe OM.

Ques. — ^Oan any particular benefit be
derived from the chanting of OM without
understanding it?

Ans. — ^Monks living in the forests of the
Himalayas chant OM or sing something else
and play upon a musical instrument. Many
times snakes, deer, and wild beasts of the
forests leave their places and come up to the
side of the monks. Now, these wild animals
understand nothing of the laws of music,
nothing of the chanting of OM, still the effect
is there. If the mere sound produces such a
marvellous effect upon snakes and deer, can-
not the mere sound chanted continually in the
right time produce an effect in your life ?

,In every piece of music there are three

I

148 IN WOODS OF odD-KBALIZATION,

phases or aspects, vis,, first, the meaning ol
the song ; second, the laws of music : ^ird, the
sound or language of the song. If you are
acquainted thoroughlf with all ijhe three
aspects of the song, you enjoy ^e song won-
derfully. But even if you are familiar with
only one element, you can still enjoy it to
some extent. The snakes and the deer hear
only the musical airs, they know nothing of
the meaning of the song or of the laws of
music, yet they enjoy it. Bonce enjoy the
musical laws as observed by the artist ; to
them the meaning of the song is nothing.
Others enjoy only the meaning of the song
and they know nothing about the musical
laws. Similarly, in OM there are three sides.
The first is the mere sound, the mere mantram
as pronounced by the mouth ; the second is
the meaning of the syllable, which is to be
realized through feeling ; the third is the
applying of OM to your character, singing it
in your acts and in your life. A man who
sings OM in all these ways, chants it with his
lips, feels it with his heart, and sings it
through action, makes his life a continuous

QUESTIONS ANB ANSWBES. 149

flong. To everybody he is God ; but if you c^-
not chant it with feeling nor chant it with
your acts, do not give it up, go on chanting it
with the lips, even that is not without use. If
you can sing it only in feeling and not
through actions or vocal organs, you will still
be benefited to some degree. If you can sing
it only in action and not through feelings and
in the mouth, that is also nojble and fine ; but
chanting it through feelings and actions will
naturally follow if you commence humming
it with the mouth.

There are certain things the mere mention
of which causes the mouth to water, such as
oranges, lemons, etc. The mere mention of
these produces an effect and the eating of
these produces certainly a complete effect.
Just so the mere sound or chant of OM will
produce a certain effedi; and if you take it in
its entirety, the effect is complete. You may
nob feel the effect in the beginning, but it
must eventually bear fruit, rest assured.

Hydrostatics tells us that if we have a
cistern with a plug in the bottom and we pour
water into the cistern, the pressure at the>

160 IN WOODS OF qOD-EEALISSATION,

bottom increases as we pour in more and more
water ; and we can calculate by the laws of
Hydrostatics just how much water ought to
be poured into the cistern in order to make
the pressure of the water great enough to
push out the plug and send the water out
through the bottom. Similarly, if you go on
pouring OM into the cistern of your body it
will go on producing its effect in the way of
adding to the pressure as it were, but mani-
festation of the effect for the public is one
thing and the generation of the effect is-
another. Still there will come a time when
you will see the plug is driven out of the
bottom of the cistern, so to speak, and the
water begins to gush out from you. The effect
may not become apparent up to a certain
time but the effect is there. It is like this ;
there was a newly married girl, the very
personification of simplicity, she had had no
experience of confinement as a mother. Dur-
ing the first month of her pregnancy she felt
a little change in her disposition and naively
imagined that the coming months would
produce no further change. In India, the

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 151.'

bride lives afe ths house of the mother-in-law
and it is the mother-in-law who attends to
the wants of the daughter-in-law and her
children. This young daughter one day
quaintly addressed her mother-in-law thus i
“Mother, mother, when I am in confinement
will you kindly wake me, lest the child be
born without my. being aware of its birth.”
The mother replied, “Dear girl, when the
time comes there will be no necessity to wake
you, you will be in a state to wake up all the
neighbours by your screams and cries.”
During the days of pregnancy a wonderful
change was going on, the effect was being
produced although the mother was not aware
of it : when the proper time comes the effect
is made manifest. Similarly, go on feeling
on this Mantram, go on nourishing yourself,
drink deep of this nourishing milk, and the
effect will in due tiine be brought forth. You
need not get impatient.

When Rama was a child, he and several
other children would get some seeds of corn
and barley or rice and dig holes in the garden
of the courtyard, aud in these holes we would

158 WOC®S OS’ QOD-BBAUZATIPN.

place these seeds together with some water
a,rid then cover this all over and so earnest
were we in our work that we would forego
our meals. We were impatient to see what
the seeds would produce, we were impatient
to see something come out of the place where
we had hut a few minutes before planted the
seeds of corn, barley and rice. We could net
leave the spot for one moment, fearing lest
the seeds might sprout with ont our knowing
it. We were very anxious, and about an
hour after sowing we were examining the
place closely to see if there were any sprouts;
we could see nothing. Disappointed we were,
and we removed the earth a little to see if
anything had happened, but could see noth-
ing ; we removed the earth a little more and
nothing had commenced to germinate; we
removed the earth still more and lo, the seeds
were unchanged. Be not like those children
impatient and expecting to reap fruit in less
than a quarter of an hour. You can sow the
seeds, but you cannot reap the harvest in so
short a time. It must take some time at least,
but most certainly the effect will be produced.'

QUESTIONS AND ANSWEES.

153

Mental Hbalbes.

Ques. — ^We have been told that Mental
Healers are setting up causes for themselves
which will result in terrible diseases in the
incarnation. Is that true ?

J.ns.— No, Mental Healers are doing some-
thing which need nob necessarily result in
terrible diseases in a future incarnation.
There is nothing in Mental Healing which
sheuld of itself result in terrible diseases.
Here are people doing all sorts of worldly
work ; should such work result in terrible
disease ? No. Mental Healers like ordinary
people are doing a doctoring work. If as usual
doctor’s work be productive of such disastrous
results in future incarnation, then also will
the work of the Mental Healers be pro-
ductive of such results. If Doctors do not
bring such Karma upon themselves, then
Mental Healers do not. Earha was asked why
he did not practise Mental Healing. The
answer was that in Rama’s eyes physical
life was not important enough to deserve any
serious attention. Christ did not make a
profession of his healing powers. When he

164 IN WOODS Off GOD-EEALIZATIOJSr.

cured anybody or when any body was cured
through him, he said, “It is fchy faith which
hath healed thee and not I.” If Rama should
do such , work, what would the result be ?
Everybody will come to Rama for loaves
and fishes. Some would come and say, “Heal
my son, do this work, and that ; ” others
would say, “I want to be restored to a high
position in society,” All this brings in a
mercantile spirit and commercialism. Mental
Healing followed as a profession keeps us off
from realizing real freedom.

Manifestation of Soul,

Ques. — Can the soul manifest itself fully
while in the physical body ?

Ans. — Here the word , ‘soul’ ought to be^
explained a little. Here we have a basin of
water and in the water the Sun is reflected,.
Now pour the water from one basin intO'
another; you will find .that the Sun is reflect-
ed in the water in the second basin just as
it was reflected in the first vessel. Transfer
the water from the second vessel to the-
third vessel and the Sun is reflected just the
same there. Similarly, your external body^

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 165-

your gross body, may be compared to a vase
or clay basin, Tbe water contained in the
vase bears a remarkable comparison to yoar
subtle body, consisting chiefly of your desires,
emotions ,and mind. After death the subtle
body is transferred from one .basin of gross-
body to another. According to some, this
transmigrating, subtle body is the sou]; but
not 80 according to Vedanta. According to
Vedanta the real Self or refulgent Atman is
like the Sun reflected alike in the subtle body
when in the first basin of a gross body as
when in the second. Now, the true Soul,
the re^il Self, is always manifesting itself
fully under all circumstances. The real
glorious Atman is incapable of any change or
development. It is always perfect. If you
understand, by the word Soul the subtle body,
it usually takes many births, lives or-trans-
migrations to attain the final state where
further transmigration stops. But even in
this life if you are really in right earnest-
about your salvation, you can realize perfect
liberation and undergo no further transmh
gration.

156 IN WOOBS OF aOD-EBAL^ATION.

What is death ? Death means the break-
ing of the gross vessel of the body. When
'death comes, the watwr from one gross body
or basin is conveyed to another vase, s@ to
say. The subtle body has reincarnated and
got another gross body, and in this second
basin or vase the true Self, the God, is
reflected just the same as it was in the fi^t
basin of the body. This basin of the body
in its turn lasts, say, for a period of three
score years and ten, and it breaks ; the fluid
'that is in fhat basin, the Sukshma Sharira,
is transferred to the third clay basin or body.
This is transmigration. The true Atman is
like the Sun reflected alike in the subtlib body,
and in all the different basins of gross bodies,
The real Self is thus beyond all transmi-
gration. All transmigration concerns only
the subtle body and not the Sun or the true
Atman. Now the point must be made sutill
more clear.

You know that the Sun shines perfectly
all the time, but the image of the Sun reflect-
ed upon the water is not , always perfect
•or constant. When the water is in a solid

QUESTIONS AND ANBWBjES. 157

state the Sun shining upon the snow and the-
ice is not reflected in it. Also, when the-
water is converted into a gaseous state we
see that the image of the Sun is not reflected.
Thus out of the three states of water, viz
solid, liquid and gaseous, when the water is
in the solid state there is reflected no image
of the Sun ; when the water is in the liquid
state then is the image of the Sun reflected;,
but when the water is in the third or gaseous
state we again see no reflection of the image
of the Sun. With changes in the state of
the water changes in the image of the Sun
take place. These clay vessels or gross bodies
are the vegetable form, the animal form
and the form of man. There is a time when
the subtle body is of a very gross nature like
the solid state. When in that state, the
image of the Sun is not reflected, although
the Sun shines overhead all the same.
Plants and the lower animals develop and
advance, but in them there is no thought of
‘‘ I am doing this.” There is not the least
glimpse of “Agent idea,’' in other words, no
trace of the image of the real Self. All the-

a58 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION.

progress or advancement in them as in the
whole range of Nature, is being brought
about by tte Sun. But in them the Sun is not
reflected ; just as the Sun collects and melts
the snows on the tops or peaks of the Hima«
layas but is not reflected by them, Vegetables
and the lower animals are being developed
and raised, being advanced and evolved
through the agency and virtue of the Sun,
the Atman ; but in them there is no appro-
priation of the real agency and power of the
Sun, the Atman to the apparent little body.
In them there is no Prometheus like stealing
of fire from Heaven ; no self-aggrandising
thought of personality — “ I do this and I do
that/’

The fluid of the subtle body by passing
through these lower kinds of basins, by and
by, reaches the beautiful vessel called Man,
the fluid in the liquid state, the transparent
state, and here comes in a wonderful reflection
of the Supreme Agent, the Sun or the Self,
Here although the real worker, as before, is
the Sun, the Self alone, there flashes the
.reflection or image of the real Self in the

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 169

subtle body in the form of egoism or respon-
sible Agent-idea. This thought of “I do this
and I do that,’’ is absent in the vegetable
•and lower animals. In man the idea of the
false self appears. “I am the agent, I am
the doer’’ that is the apparent, the false
self, the image of the Sun reflected in the
fluid. This ego, this apparent self is false
and unreal. The real Agent and the real
Worker, God, does everything. He is the
responsible master ; and this responsibility is
taken up and embosomed by the refined
subtle body, through ignorance. This putting
on of this Agent-idea constitutes the false
illusory little self. This false ego is unreal in
the same way as the image in the liquid is
•unreal. Opticians prove mathematically that
the reflection in the mirror or water is merely
virtual or illusory. So is this responsible
-selfish ego, merely virtual or illusory. The
evolution in the fluid or subtle body takes
place through the Sun. The subtle body
imbibes and absorbs more and more of the
light and the heat of the Sun, Self or God
.and thus changes its physical condition from

16© IN WOODS OP GOD'BUmzATION.

the grosser te the finer. When the ordinary
man absorbs or takes in more and more of
i3ie light and knowledge of the Self or Atmate,
the subtle body undergoes an evolution, his
Sukshma Sharira becomes in time gaseous, sO'
to say, and being gaseous, although still
confined in the vessel of the gross body, it
does not reflect the image of the Sun. The
false self, the image, has become one with
the Sun. Here again as in the case of the
vegetables and lower animals, we find no idea
of responsibility; no thought of “I am doing
this,” no exacting demand like — “Be grateful
unto me*,” all such spirit vanishes. Here the
unreal self, the image of the real Self, is no
longer seen ; the copyrighting, mercantile
spirit is abolished ; the appropriating, selfish
ego is got rid of.

Gases in general cannot be poured from'
one vessel into another. Solids and liquids
can be transferred from one vessel to another,
but gas gets diffused into the air when the
vessel which holds it is broken. Thus, the
object of all Hindus is to reach that most,
refined state where they will not be subject

QUESTIONS AND ANSWBBS.

161

to further transmigration. The highest am-
bition of a Hindu mother is to give birth to-
a child who will be free, who will never bo'
re- born.

Subtle B..dy.

Ques, — Does the soul of a fiee man live
after death as a subtle body or is it absorbed ?■

Ans. — When a gas is let out of a vessel,
it fills the whole Universe. So the subtle
body of a free man becomes the bodyof the
world.

Ques. — Of what does the subtle body con-
sist?

Ans — ^The subtle body consists of pas-
sions, desires, emotions, feelings and thoughts.
The desires of a free man are impersonal ;
they have no taint of selfishness in them and
the subtle body made up of desires which are
unselfish, impersonal, Universal, is, as it were,
in the gaseous state and when the gross vessel
holding this gas is broken, the gas no longer
remains a compact mass bub is absorbed by
the whole Universe.

It is related of King Cyrus, the Eider of
Persia that so long as he lived in this wcrld^

162 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION,

he lived solely for the service and good of
the people, When about to die he stated in
his will, “Let nob my body be placed in a
■magnificeot tomb, but let it be hacked into
•small bits aud distributed piecemeal all over
the Persian Empire to serve as manure.”
This is exactly what occurs to the subtle body
■of the free mau; his subtle body is distributed
or diffused throughout the whole world.
Everybody partakes of him, carves his flesh
and drinks his blood^ His is a subtle body,
cut into pieces and eaten by the whole world.
Here is egoism oast to the winds. That man,
whether he opeus his lips or not, whether he
■ be an author or not, whether he appears be-
fore the public or not, wonderfully serves man-
kind. He is a marvellous reformer. He has
nothing to desire from all the treasures of
kings. All the books and Bibles of the world
have nothing to teach him. The favours
and frowns of kings and tyrants are meaning-
less to him. So long as he lives his benign
presence, his holy sight spreads purity and
happiness. At his’ death, wonderfully is the
world reformed.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWBKS. 163

Suppose that owing to the heat of the
Sun, the air ia rarified at this place and when
ratified it rises, it ascends naturally, vacating
its place here. What will be the result?
The air from all sides will rush forth to fill
up its place, to occupy the vacant space.
Thus are movement and revolution brought
about throughout the whole atmosphere. A
man who is perfect, who never thinks any-
thing of the body and has no desires, does
not reincarnate. At his death his subtle
body which has drunk deep of the Atman
(Sun) and absorbed the Truth (heat) or Light,
vacates his place in the Universe, and like
rarified air, rises above this world. His place
being vacated and he no longer coming into
ti ansmigration, all those who are nearest
to him by a Divine Law, are made to rise
higher to fill his place, and those next to
them get a lift similarly and so on the whole
world gets a lift. Thus the world is moved
of itself. Here is a wonderful, marvellous
reformer. He need not open his lips but the
w orld is elevated.

Archimedes said, “ I will move the world

164 IN WOODS OF GOD-EKALIZATION.

if I get a standpoint.’’ He failed to find the
fixed standpoint or fulcrum ta move the
world. Vedanta says that the fixed point is
within you. That is the Atman. Get hold
of that and you move the whole world.

A few words as to the false self. Heie is
the image oJ the Sun in the fluid in the
vessel. Science proves and Optics shows
that this image is unreal ; all light is outside
and the ima,ge in the fluid is simply the light
reflected back. The image is our own in-
ference, a mere trick of the senses ; there is
no such thing in the water or glass. The
image is a delusion and nothing else. Now,
this visual image is affected by the move-
ments of the water or fluid, it is disturbed just
in proportion as the fluid or water is disturbed.

Who makes the hair grow or the blood
flow ? Is it this false, little, copyrighting,
self-asserting ego ? Not at all ; it is not this
little, the so-called responsible ego that makes
the brain think. Get rid of this illusory self.
Bealize your true Self. You are the Master
of the Universe ; you are the Light of lights
the Holy of holies.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

166

We see that while in a deep sleepy state,
the subtle body falls back as it were to the
solid state for a time. The blood flows, the
food is digested, but there is no idea of “I am
■digesting.’’ In a dreamy state the subtle
body gives up the solid state and becomes
liquid: the Sun begins to be reflected and you
begin again to say, “I desire that, I do this.”
That selfish, responsible, desiring self, that
image is again with you. If this selfish per-
sonality were real, it would last for ever.
Why did it nob abide in the deep sleepy state ?
Why did it not last? The very fact that it did
not remain in the deep sleepy state, proves
that this credit seeking ego of yours is a
delusion. Rise above it. Ye are the Sun of
suns, the Perfect Bliss, the Reality, that ye
are ; nothing else.

With people at large the difficulty lies in
the fact that, they recognize themselves as
this false ego, this false image ; they cannot
give it up. This is the cause of all the
disturbance.

Water flows. There are ripples and waves
and breakers, but all these are due to the

166 IN WOODS OP GOD-EBALIZATION.

action of the Sun and not in the least to the
image of the Sun in the water, but in the
water the image of the Sun is agitated and
disturbed, just in proportion to the amount
of disturbance in the water. Just so the
SlmMima Sharira or the subtle body is like
the water ; through the power of the true
Atman it must be disturbed ; it must have
ripples, and yet the false self (the image)
gets disturbed as if it were the cause of all
that agitation in the water. The reflection
in the waters means identifying with the
mind, body, etc. If the body is sick, you say,
“0, I am undone, I am sick;” just because
you identify, yourself with the body or the
mind. Vedanta says, “Give up this false iden-
tification and you will be all right.” Anything
wrong with the body or the mind should not
disturb you. It is only this false sentimenta-
lism due to this false self which causes all
your suffering.

MANIPBSTATION OP SOUL EEANSWBEED.

Ques. — Gan the Soul manifest itself fully
while in the physical body ?

Ans. — The answer will depend upon what

QUESTIONS AND ANSWBBS ISf

meaning you give to the word Soul, What'
is meant by Soul ? Is mind the Soul ? Berke-
ley, Mill, Hamilton, Reid, all of theca identify
the mind with the Soul. In this sense the
Soul’s progress is indefinite. If by the word
Soul is meant what we have called the image
of Reality in man, the question is inapplic-
able. If by the word Soul is meant the true
Atman there is no room or possibility for
any change or progress. But usually the
word Soul is with most people a mere
chimera, a mere name, with no definite signi-
ficance. These people may form their own
theories about the matter.

LECTURE Vlil.

IS A PARTICULAR SOCIETY NEEDED ?

Golden Gate Hall, San Francisco, January
29, 1903.

Ques. — ^Would it nob be best to start a
■society of our own for pursuing these truths
given us by the Swami ?

Ans. — One of Rama’s objects, is to break
■down caste and sectarianism.

Ic is true that by starting a society or
forming an association, the cause of Truth
may be strengthened, but often there is more
harm than good done.

If an association or society be formed,
it should not be as other societies. Rama
wants no slavery, no yoke of Vedanta. You
are all free to attend any other association,
to listen to all new comers ; my own will
come to me. If you are attracted to other
speakers, it there be something in this one
or that for you, then go to them. Every

IS A PARTIOULAE SOCIETY NEEDED? l69

speaker is Rama. Krishna I am, Muhammad
I am ; hear them freely. Rama does not want
you to become slaves to him ; do hot shut out
the light. At the same time Rama wants
you to benefit by this truth.*

Truth as old as the hoary-headed peaks of
the Himalayas, truth sung on the banks of
the Ganges thousands and thousands of years
ago, is the same truth which was apprehended
by Emerson, Whitman, and all the others, the
eatne truth which put them into ecstasy. The
■same truth presented in a thousand Jorm by
the present day associations and societies,
-comes in its entirety or in its parts ; the same,
truth which is talked of in your journals
■and papers may be presented beautifully,
but truth has not changed, it is the same
to-day as it was thousands and thousands
-of years ago, but Rama says the .truth is
brought most beautifully by him, and if you
but read these books, you will see that
these truths are magnificently, wonderfully

B.— There seams to be an underlying reference to the cus-
tom oomtnon in America especially with the Hindu and Vedan-
tio preachers in America to try to dissuade their admirers and
disciples to look askance on other preachers and lectures— Ed.

170 IN WOODS OF OOD-RBA.LIZA.TION,

portrayed by Rama. Some people could not
relish Rama’s oratory, because he did not
humour and pamper to their tastes. Let Rama
swerve from the truth and take up a tone
which will flatter and humour and please' »
your fancy, and people will gather in large
numbers to hear Rama, but Rama did not
descend from the heights of truth in order to
pamper any body’s taste, and never will.'

Christ spoke only to eleven disciples, but
those words were stored up by the atmos-
phere, were gathered up by the skies, and are
to-day being read by millions of people. Truth
crushed to earth shall rise again.

It may be that this thought is being ex-
pressed by many persons, but Rama’s way
of putting this same thought, which is being^
propounded by the Press of to-day, will supply
some need and impart some good ; some will
be benefited by this way, and others will be
benefited by other ways; but then millions of
people will receive great benefit from Rama’s
way. Rama says that if you take interest in
it, take it up, advance it and pass it on to each
and all. If after Rama leaves you, form a

IS A PAETIOULAR SOCIETY NBEDID? 171

society, take up the works of Swami, take up
the works of Emersou, Whitman, Spencer,
and all. the others ; form a society which is
not bound to any name, having for its obj ct
the true advance of Truth, and if in that
society there be any one who has anything
original, ot in studying or reading have run
across some helpful points, they can bring
before the society such information so that all
may be benefited; or some members who in
private meditation come across somenew ideas
may also communicate them, but let it all
come naturally, not in accordance with rules
etc.

• Here is a whistle which when blown pro-
duces the note of the nightingale. We can
blow it when we like and get the note of the
nightingale, but the note is not natural. The
natural song of the nightingale cannot be
bound by any space, time or law. The nigh-
tingale will sing when it pleases him and not
when you approach him and say “0 nightin-
gale, sing.” So you will see that a fixed time
for speaking or lecturing imposes conditions,,
and the best results are not obtained.

172 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBAtIZAaiON.

Fixed conditions are necessary to procure
hall rental and in order that more money
may be commanded, but all these laws crucify
the Truth. This is selling the Jesus of Truth
for thirty pieces of silver.

Rama tells you that if you, want to form a
society, let it be formed on natural lines and
•not in imitation of the present societies, It
may be that it will be the first of its kind.

The Christian Church is a blunder by it-
self. Whereas it has done immense good, it
has also done proportionate wrong by placing
walls around its members and preventing
them from receiving Truth from any other
source than the Christian Bible. So are the
Buddhist, the Muhammedan Church, and
many others, a tremendous blunder, because
they confine the members in narrow limits
and prevent them from receiving truth from
any other source. You must reach Heaven
through that door or window and through
ho other.

You have the right to look at the skies
•through any door or window ; in fact you have
a right to leave the house, to leave the win-

IS A PAETIOULAE SOCIETY NEEDED? ITS;

dow or door, and enjoy the whole heaven in
the open air. So Rama wishes a society formed
not on unnatural plans like other societies,
but on the most natural plans. Members'
must not be bound by any lines but must be
free; a society where members lecture when
they feel free to lecture or when they feel
inspired; just as the nightingale, when forced
to sing, all the beauty of his song is lost. Do
not make yourselves like artificial whistles, do
not imitate the sound of the nightingale. Do
not be bound by laws and rules. Truth cannot
be bound by lines,

Rama’s best works were written in the
deep forests of the Himalayas where nobody
was listening. There Rama sang out to the
trees of the forest; the air in the woods took
up the sound and echoed it far and wide.
Those works began to spread, but whenever
Rama was compelled to speak before a society
and spoke in accordance with rules and laws,
his efforts were not good. It was unnatural
and the beauty was gone. Sometimes when
only one person listens to you, truth comes
more beautifully and magnificently. Truth

174 " IN WOOBS oy aOD-EBABIZATrON.

cares not whether the audience is large or
-small. Take up the idea and by and by the
whole world will listen.

Why should you belong to a society?
The society belongs to you.

Here you are. You breathe into your
lungs very little air at a time and yet all the
air in the world is yours. Is it not? You
are heir to all the air in this world. All the
atmosphere is yours, you can breathe the
whole atmosphere. The air of India, Japan,
China, England, America is Rama’s and
Rama is also you. The air of the Himalayas
with its sweet fragrance is yours. No one has
any proprietary right over air. Similarly, no
one has any proprietary right over Truth or
Knowledge. All the religions of the world
all the Truth of the world is yours.

When you breathe, just reflect upon this
thought and feel this idea that as this body is
breathing the air of the whole world, so the
mind is heir to the Truth of the whole world.

Breathe the Truth of the whole world,
gather it from all sources, from Emerson,
'Whitman and others, from the Upanishads,

IS A PARTIOULAE SOCIETY NEEDED? 176

Crita and all, they are yours. Think them to be
yours.

When you take up a booh to read, look not
for the author. Let books come out as the
Upanishads, written without the author’s
name.

The authors of the Upanishads took no
•credit for giving their ideas to .the world. The
greatest works in India, the six systems of
Philosophy, contain nowhere the name of the
author. The author does his work impartially,
devoid of that copy-righting spirit, free from
this proprietary self, and full of the spirit of
am the Truth ” It is pleasure enough for me
to feel “The Truth I amT What pleasure,
there is in the idea ‘T wrote 100 books, I own
$ 5,000.000.” True happiness is brought to
me by realising that “I am the whole, the
Absolute Truth, the Magnificent, indestructi-
ble Atman, the Reality,” that happiness oasts
into the shade all your worldly personal joys
■and pleasures.

So breathe and when you breathe, feel
■and realize that everything in the world is
•yours. Peel that the air of the whole world

''176 IN WOODS OB’ GOD-BBALIZATION.

is yours, that all the beauty and love of thfr
whole world is yours, just as the air is yours
passing through the lungs, just as every drop
of blood 'in your veins belongs to every in-
dividual cell. Every individual cell in your
body’’ owns every individual drop of blood of
the body. Similarly, when you breathe this
thought, realise that all knowledge, power,,
truth happiness, all dogmas, all creeds, Krish-
na, Muhammad, Rama, Jesus, all belong to
you. Count not your contents by what is-
flowing through you at this instant.

Now a word as to how to cure yourself of
the dumps or this dejected state. The remedy
is very simple, and on account of being so-
plain and simple, people neglect it.

Experience has shown it, and all these
great men consciously or unconsciously stum-
ble on the process which Hama lays before
you and when you try it, you will marvel at
its effect.

If while sitting in your room you are de-
jected, or you feel tired, or a little selfish or
an evil thought, unhappy idea, or thought o£
jealousy, or undue attachment of a lower na-

IS A partioulak society reeded? . 177

care should crop up, jusfc bear in mind that
in a healthy state of body these thoughts
cannot approach us ; remember that there is
something wrong with the stomach.

When a man comes to Rama and begins-
to use improper language or is harsh in
his tones, he never finds fault with him,,
nor does he answer him in the same tcne.
You should not retaliate when some body
expresses jealousy, sarcasm, or signs of displea-
sure against you, you may rather take pity
on him and give him some medicine for
the relief of his stomach. When you yourself
suffer, what are you to do ? Are you to take
outside medicims? 0 no. These outside
medicines will not be an efficient remedy,
the effect will not be lasting.

When you feel in a state of depression,
Rama’s advice is to give up your laziness,
throw aside your book, be on your feet, walk
out in the open air, and walk rapidly.
Naturally your breathing becomes deep.
Naturally will this breathing take place, and
that will cheer you with energy, and all
depression will be gone; that cold breeze blow-

178 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZA.TION.

iag on your face will produce a wonderful
effect. It is a wonder of wonders that more
people have not observed it.

People have delivered many lectures on
Pranaijama or controlling the breath but
Rama’s method is the most natural one
for it. While walking on the seashore or
elsewhere, by Rama’s method your Prana
will be put in the right order. Another way
is after walking out of the room in the open
air, suppose you do not walk rapidly but
slowly, suppose you do not think it nice to
walk rapidly and being slaves of nicety more
than freedom, if you think more of public
opinion than of your own good, suppose then
that you walk gently, then your breath simply
fills the upper part of the stomach and does
not go deep enough, then Rama advises
you to stand still in a coruer or at some place
where you are not noticed, then open the
mouth and take in the air fully. Inhale the
air fully through the mouth and inhale it
through the nostrils; this process should be
practised rigorously, and you will see how
wonderfully it will cheer you up. '

IS A PARTIOULAB, SOCIETY NBBDID? 179

Rama suggests to you the most natural
Pranayama^ Breathe, breathe, breathe. In
deep breathiug the air will fill the lower part
of the stomach and will also pass through
the entire canal within. This way you will be
at once released of depression, and your ener-
gies will be put to the best advantage. While
breathing you can exercise the mind by fee-
ling “I am breathing the air of the whole
world. All beauty and love of the whole
world are mine.” Continue this idea in the
mind with deep breathing. “All the beauty,
all the wealth of the world is mine” will
cheer you up. Just test it, it is so simple and
yet so wonderful in its results.

As to walking, people want to take walks
in the society of some one else and some silly
poet has written a poem to this effect

“ Have a friend with whom to talk,

Somebody with him to walk,”

Rama says that if you are no thinker, or
if you are not spiritually minded, if you have
nothing grand or noble to do with the mind,
it may then be necessary for you to keep
(homebody beside you ; or suppose you are

180 IN WOODS OB’ GOD-KEALIZATION.

veiy weak, then Rama advises you to avail
yoursell of the privilege of walking with a
teacher. Thab ujill do you some good. But
walk not with people who will not elevate or
raise you ; walk not with those who bring you
upon the lower planes of hatred, envy or jeal-
ousy. If you walk alone, and if you are a
thinker, there can be nothing more beneficial
to you than to begin to chant OM when no
body is around. As you walk and chant OM,
you will see that the very atmosphere will
inspire you and in you will be evoked won-
derful and marvellous thoughts.

People do nob avail themselves of this fact.
It seems to be a very common place advice,
but when practised you will be astonished at
the wonderful effects which are produced.

Here is the great and mighty ocean. In
this mighty ocean, one drop of water has the
same power behind it as the wave of the
ocean. One wave has the same power behind
it as another ; every bubble has the mighty
Ocean for its soul, every ripple is supported
by the infinite Sea.

Similarly,, feel, feel please, that this what

IS A PARTICULAR SOCIETY NEEDED? 181

you call the body is supported and upheld, is
nourished and fed,' — this small tiny drop, like
the wave, — this body is strengthened and sup-
ported by the same mighty Ocean of oceans,
the same which keeps up and upholds the
Sun and stars-

Your Self is the support of the Sun and
stars, it is the Self of every drop of your blood,
it is the Self of the whole body, it is the Self of
every hair of the head, Self of the whole body.

You are this Infinite Self; you do not only
support and keep up this body, but you are
the Self of all space, and all time. Now
mark, — you are that Self which is supporting
all time and space ; you are that Self Infi-
nity. Now see if this body die, will that Self
die? No. If the body die, the Self cannot die
so long as there is time or space ; — 0 wonder
of wonders ! — I am the Self of all space, the
Self of all Eternity, the Self of all time.

Eeelthat idea while in lonely walks, while
walking on the beach or in the open air ; —
while standing alone, feel this idea. You
may not chant OM freely; holding the idea
is chanting QM through feeling.

182 IN WOODS OF q'od-ebalization.

You need not put too much stress on the
outward chanting of OM, but through feeling
you should realize “ I am all Infinity, all
Space I am, all bodies are full of Me ; all
desires of friends or foes are Mine, all desires
are Mine.”

Here is a person of whom I am jealous, —
a person whom I consider my rival ; now
think “That rival, I am.” Give up all separ-
ateness; realize that this little jealous Self
you are not. Suppose you love some one and
you find that another loves the same one,
then comes the thought of jealousy ; encour-
age it not ; the loved one you are, the other
one who also loves the idol of your heart,
that you are also ; his joys are your joys,
realize the truth. In order to, realize truth
you must realize yourself as Truth. Think
“1 ain he whom that person approaches, there-
is no separateness.” Else above that. Get
rid of this idea of great and small. Apply
your Vedanta in realizing no great and no
small. Think “I am he who is great to-day,,
and he who is not great to day he also I am.”

One man may be greater than you, he may I

IS A PARTIOIJLAR SOCIETY NEEDED? 1^3-

have the power of gaining more wealth than
you, he may gain more honours than you.
Now the -only way to advance is to see that
what I envy is the body, but the body is not
the Self of the hero, the Self of the hero and
I are one. Feel that and get above this idea
of jealousy.

The more your heart beats with the best
in Nature, the more you feel that throughout
the whole of Nature it is you who are breath-
ing. You breathe in the growth and decay
of trees. The Sun rises and sets, the same is-
inhaling and exhaling.

Life and Death are like inhaling and ex-
haling. So long as you are shut off from
Nature, you are lost ; the more you feel that
the whole world is your breath, and that
Infinite power you are which breathes through
the phenomena of Death, through the coming
and going, through the Earth and all, you
rise above all petty cares and anxieties. That
is inner beauty. People who become inwardly
beautiful, whatever their faces may be, be-
come lovely, they become the centre of
attraction of the whole world.

184 IN WOODS OS’ GOD-EBALIZATION.

Socrates was very ugly and prayed for
inner beauty. To iiave good thoughts is
inner beauty.

How smooth does it make the whole world
for you! There is no unevenness, no rough-
ness in the world when you feel that you are
free.

If the Sun comes down, if the Moon is
-driven into the dust, if the systems are drag-
,ged into annihilation, what is that to you,
the Real, the true Atman. Peel that because
then nothing can harm you, The Sun, the
moon and the stars may be destroyed
'but you are not destroyed ; you are
the soul of all space and all time. You
are indestructible ; you stand as a rock.
Realise that. This is the way you must
breathe ; breathe through the lungs and
mind. Through the mind you breathe the
Self of the whole world ; you breathe the
whole Universe, and thus bring yourself in
harmony with Nature. Your life becomes
harmonious with the whole Universe.

What is harmonious motion ? Let the
motion of the brain become harmonious. Har-

IS A PARTIOULAB SOCIETY NEEDED? 186

monious mobiom is the music of the spheres.
All the spheres of the Universe are breathing
in that harmonious motion.

Acquire this harmonious motion. Be in
tune with Harmony, in tune with the music
•of the sphere, — then you become inwardly
•beautiful.

Here in the great ooc-an there is a fish ;
the water of the ocean fills the gills of the
fish and the water of the ocean passes through
it ; the whole motion it has.

Similarly, feel that the whole world is
Mine. What is it that dampens your spirits
and your cheerfulness ? It is what is called
Spiritual Opacity. You have to make your-
selves transparent, you have to give up the
Opacity in you, it darkens you.

What is this Opacity ? It is this little ego,
this proprietary self which says, “This is
mine, that belongs to me, etc,” This Opacity'
is what must be given up, and while breath-
ing in the open air feel that you are in unison
with the whole world. You become transpa-
rent and everything will come to you. Two
men came before a king and asked him to

1^6 IN WOODS OF GOD-KBALIZATION.

employ them in ornamenting and painting
the walla of his palace. These two rival artists
applied to the king in prder to get the mono-
poly of the whole business. The king wanted
to examine their work before engaging them,
and accordingly they were asked to paint
two opposite walls.

Screens were placed before the walls so
that the artists could work independently of
each other. They worked about a month and
at the end of that time, one of the artists
came to the king and told him that he had
finished his work and would like him to come
and see what he had done. The king then
asked the other artist how long it would take
him to finish, and he replied, “Your Majesty,
I also have finished.” The day was appointed,
the king together with his entire retinue and
other visitors came to see which of the artists
had outrivalled the other. The screen before
the wall of the first artist was taken down.
The king and his retinue and all the visitors
pronounced the work as marvellous and
splendid ; they fell into raptures , over the-
work, thought it great and sublime.

IS -A PAETIOULAR SOOIETY NEEDED? 187

The oouitiers whispered to king that no-
thing- better could be expected; that there
was no use to look at the work of the other
artist, because this painter had far surpassed
all their expectations, they thought the entire
York ought to be given to this man. The
king was, however, wiser than his courtiers,,
and accordingly ordered the screen to be
taken off from before the other wall, and lo !
the people were astonished, they opened their
mouths and raised their hands and held their
breath in amazement. 0 wonder of wonders,
it is marvellous.

Do you know what they had discovered ?
Now the second painter had painted nothing
on the wall during the whole month. He had
worked to make the wall transparent as far
as possible ; he rubbed and scrubbed and
beautified this wall ; he succeeded in making,
this wall perfectly transparent. Upon examin-
ing the wall, all that was painted on the
opposite wall by, his rival was perfectly
reflected in this wall. Besides, this wall was
more smooth, more even and beautiful, while
the other wall appeared to be rough, uneven

188 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION,

and ugly. All the painting on that wall was
reflected in this beautiful, smooth wall, and
•consequently the second wall had all the
beauty of the first wall added to it.

Now the kings and people of those days
were not acquainted with mirrors, and they
•;did not examine very closely, but exclaimed
“Tour Mijesty, this man has entered deep
into the wall ; he has dug two or three yards
and has painted I every thing.”

The images appeared in the mirror the same
distance as the images were from the mirror.

Now as this painter rubbed and srubhed
the wall with sand aud worked with it until
it became a mirror, so Rama tells you that
people, s^ho are busy reading books, gain su-
perficial knowledge; while painting outside let
them paint the walls so as to make them beau-
tiful by the process of gaining all knowledge.

This process is trying to make the walls
of your mind or intellect; transparent, smooth,
thin, by rubbing and scrubbing them as it
were; bypurifjing your hearts, bymakingyour
hearts transparent then all the knowledge of
the world will be reflected in your mind ; you

IS A PAEriOULAE SOCIETY NEEDED? 189

will be inspired with the whole universe.

Rama tells you from personal experience-
that while living in the deep forests of
the Himalayas, it often happened that when
the mind was in a transparent state, when-
it was negative, — the most splendid ideas,
wonderful philosophy and wonderful power
came into the mind by inspiration so to speak.
So Rama tells you that all books are written
through inspiratior; the Bible, the TJpani-
shads, the Vedas, Milton’s works, Emerson’s-
works, and Ingersol’s works, even though
Ingersol is not a so-called Christian, Spen-
cer’s works are all just as inspired as the
Vedas, the Koran or the Bible. There is no
knowledge Avithout inspiration, all knowledge
comes through inspiration. It is when authors
begin this proprietary, mercantile, egotistic
claiming, this mercenary spirit of exacting
charge, this asking and begging from people
which makes the walls of the heart imperfect,,
rough and uneven, it is this little crawling,
sneaking spirit; and when this spirit is clean-
ed out, got rid of, the wall of the heart is-
perfect. When you vibrate with the whole-

190 IN ■V&’OODS OE aOD-EBALIZA-TION.

■world, when the business of the world is your
business, when the heart of the world is your
heirt, when you feel that you pulsate in the
whole Universe, when either consciously or
uncouBciously you are in that state, then
'knowledge comes and fills you — this is the
way. I

In books and temples raise your search ;
search within yourself for the secret ; breathe
in the whole world. You are transparent,

Your opacity is gone when you have in mind
no rivalry, no claims to yourself, when you
feel the desires of an enemy as your own
desires, when you apply this test to your soul
and see that all those of whom I used to be
jealous are me, — that I am the owner of their ,

desires. If their desire be to kill this body, if
this desire brings to you the the same happi- |

ness as it does to them, 0, then you are in
tune with the Universe, in harmony with the
whole world. You are transparent, all opacity
is gone, you are Grod Almighty. This is the ;i

secret of success. All the treasures of the |

world become yours. f

OM ! OM !! OM !!! f

LECTURE IX.

THE BROTHERHOOD OP MAN.

Lecture delivered on February 15, 1903.

Bifore CO nmenoing the lecture, it will be
better for you to conceutrate your minda upon
the solidarity of mankind, upon the oneness
of each and all, upon the brotherhood of
man. Just feel, feel, feel.

OM.

If this were strictly a speculative talk, it
would not be worth while to spend an hour
or so in hearing it. It ought to be made a
practical matter which may really bring you
spiritual happiness. Oh, what a joy it brings
when we feel that all the people in this world
are Myself. That music which I heard was
Mine. What a joy it does bring when we
feel that the people in this world who are
at the high spring of prosperity and who are
awfully popular, oh, those I am. What a

192 IN WOODS OF OOD-EBALIZATION,

i

joy it brings! Try to feel that and you will
see the natural consequence in your practice.
Just as you feel that this one body is yours,,
so begin to feel and realize that all bodies
are yours ; and when you commence feeling
that you will mark that just as this body^
which you call yours, obeys your behests
and your desires, just as at your desire, at
your will the feet begin to move, at your
commandment the hands begin to move
just as you observe that in your own body,
similarly it is a matter of experienca, it is
a fact capable of realization, it is an experi-
mental fact that if you concentrate your
mind and your energies upon’ this truth of
oneness, you will observe that all the bodies
in this world will begin to move and be-
have exactly in accordance with your desires.
It is an. experimental fact, believe in it,,
verify it. It is not a matter of speculation,
it is not empty talk, it is as much a fact as
you call this body of yours a fact. Though
it is a stern reality, yet supposing it for the
sake of argument to be impracticable, you
will see one immediate pleasure falling to-

THB BBOTHBBHOOD OB MAN. • 1'9B

your lot by this realization of the onenesB of
humanity. Why do these people feel sorry
and anxious about riches ? They want to
possess gardens, they want to call grass plots
their own. What a sorry thought? Could
you not go to the gardens of the rich people
here, to the public gardens, and sit there
hours and hours and enjoy those gardens
just the same way as the geatleiaan, who calls-
that garden his own, enjoys it ? Could that
gentleman who calls that garden his own ever
see all those flowers and fruits with four
eyes? Were not those gardens, flowers, foliage
and all those fruits to him accessible only
through the same kind of two eyes as you
have got? He can hear the music of the
nightingales and birds in the garden with
the same sort of two ears as you. Then
why worry and bother about the silly desire
of possessing that garden ? Well- Rama wants
you to feel all the gardens of the world as
yours, Rama wants you to feel and realize all
the bodies of men as yours. Just feel that
all the talented forces and gifted minds are
yours. This is not a feeling which you might

’I9i IN WOODS 01 OOD-EBALIZATION.

call far-fetched or unnatural. Have you not
to practise various viitues for the realization
'of the high ideals of life ? Those are useful
to you, but the most useful of all would be
fjr you to concentrate your energies and centre
your thoughts upon this Truth of truths;
'upon this Reality <hat all are one, all the
bodies are yours. Upon this truth, reality,
centre your thoughts ; concentrate your ener-
feel feel, feel that all are tour bodies.
When you look at a man who is passing
thronorh' the s'rpots, who is hnnoured, say,
the Kino: of Enjjlarid. the Czir of Russia,
the Fresidt^nt of the United States, let no
thought of envy or fearfulness enfer your
mind. Enjoy the princely gaze as yours, feel
that as yours “I am that, nobody else.’’
Wh“n you fjy to feel that Avay^, your own
exfO'^ienee will prove the truth that all are
one, everybody will be your ears, eyes, feet,
your otvn body. Brotherhood of man ! Logic
may be able to prove it or not, Science may
prove it or not. Philosophy may or may not
be able to prove it, but it is a fact, a fact which
experience proves.

THE BBOTHBEHOOD OF MAN. 196

OM.

Well, Rama will now give you some rea-
sons wh'ioh establish this truth, the Brother-
hood. of Man, and while he advances the rea-
sons y 3u will try to take thoee conclusions in
your feelings, heart, you will try to grasp
those things in your feelings, in your heart,
you will try to realize yourself the conclusions
escaping the lips of Rama.

When this title “ Brotherhood of Man
was suggested to the gentleman who had to
get it advertised in the newspapers, Rama
afterwards felt ashamed. ‘^Brotherhood of
Man”, is a misnomer, “Universal Brother-
hood” is a misnomer, it does not quite come
up to the mark. The word ‘brother’ implies
gome difference ; brothers are seen at war,
fighting with one another, but here there is
nob the least room for any difference ; here
there is more than ‘‘brotherhood’’. ‘‘Oneness
and the United Oneness of Man” would have
been a better title. You will say, “Bother
us not about the speculations of the Atman,
you always talk to us about the Atman or
Self, that is something very subtle-” Well,

196 IN WOODS ON apD-EBALIZ(&.q:jON.

■ j ^ i! *

a]l right, if you be willing to hear about that
Atman, then there is no room for talk, and all
the matter ends immediately ; there at least
we are all one, no words can reach that state;
no language can come up tiere. But if you
do not want to hear about the Atman which
is beyond words, Rama will take up the matter
from the very grossest stand-point. We shall
begin with the gross body; that is very gross;
even if we waive the nature of the Atman,
even if we do not consider the Atman, the
true Self, the physical bodies also prove that
all of you are one. Minds prove that all of
you are one, event on the plane of feeling.
Science shows that all of you are one ; upon
the physical plane, upon the Psychological
plane, upon the astral plane you are all one.
If you do not feel that, and if you do not live
that Brotherhood in your practical every-day
life, then you are violating the most sacred
Truth. You know that the person who tries to
encroach upon the laws of State is punished,
he cannot go scot-free. Similarly those who
do not feel this brotherhood and do not carry
out this brotherhood in every day life in

THE BROTHERHOOD OP MAN, ' 19Y

' ■ . *> ( f • ( ^ ^

practice, musfc suffer. All the suffering in this
world, all the misery and all the anguish in
this Universe is due only to your trying to
Xrioiate this most sacred law, this most sacred
Truth, the Law of laws, the Brotherhood of
mankind, nay, the Oneness of each and all.
Now, all our . physical bodies are one.
Brethren, how can that be? That body sits
'there and this body stands here, how can they
be one ? Just as in the ocean we feel a ripple
here and a wave there; they appear to be
located at different places ; they appear to be
of different sizes, but as a matter of fact both
these waves or ripples are one as they are from
the same water, it is the same ocean which
appears in these waves. The water which
now forms this wave will, after a while, form
the other wave or ripple. Just as we observe
in the case of waves, so it is with your mate-
rial bodies. The matter which now forms this
body does after a while form another body,
nay inore, the material particles which appear
to bs composing this body which you call
Rama’s body, go into the other body even in
your lifetime. So does respiration prove.

198 m WOODS OF GOD-EEALlZATIOKf,

You are taking in oxygen and sending it
back converted into carbonic acid gas. This
carbonic acid gas is inhaled by plants and the
plants set free the oxygen. That oxygen you
inhale and you exhale carbon dioxide, the
same carbon dioxide is inhaled again by
plants. From that we see that you are related*
to plants even as brothers; your breath passes
into them and their breath passes into you;
you breathe into the plants and the plants
breathe into you. You are one even with the
gardens and plants.

We will consider it from another stand-
point. The same oxygen that you breathe and
is converted into carbon dioxide, was set free
by the plants, the same oxygen goes into the
lungs of your brothers ; that which was now
in your body is then in your brother’s body.
You breathe the same air, all of you. Just
feel that all you breathe the same air, in
your breath your bodies are all one. As you
live upon the same earth, the same sun, the
same moon, the same atmosphere are all around
you. You eat fruits, vegetables or meat; you
eat them, they form your body, they are

THE BRO^BBEHOOP OF MAN, ; 1^99'

excreted and in their excreted form, they will
pass into vegefcal^les and fruits, they reappear
in those shapes, the same matter which want
out of your hodies,; when it reappears in the
shape of vegetables, and fruits, is taken up
again by your brothers, enters into the bodies
of other people. Thus we see that the same
matter which was once yours becomes theire
in no time. If we look at our skin with a
microscope we will observe small living parti-
cles coming out of our bodies; very minute
living particles coming put of our bodies.
They are not only coming out, but similar
particles are going into your body. Here
are some particles coming out of the
bodies and others going into the body.
Here there is a , continual exchange going
on in this world : the living particles which
are now comingput of your body are being
diffused into this atmosphere, and these very
living particles which were nowyours, become
your fellow’s in no time. Science lays it be-
yond doubt that/TOur. physical bodies are all
one. Yoit;\yill not perhaps, believe that. How
could it be possible tjhat living, microscopic

200 IN WOODS OP QOD-KBALIZATION.

particles going out of tlie bodies of ray
friends enter my body, and those that borne
out of my body stick to the body of my fri-
-ends? Ho5V^ ia that possible? Let us see. How
is smell caused? You know that smell ia
•due to small living particles coming out of the
objects which we smell. Flowers are fragtant
because they send forth smali-living particles.
This is a fact proved by Science, Here we
■see all your bodies, do they not Smell? But
your sense of smell is not sharp enough, or
■say, is not of a kind, or of a capacity to be
able to perceive this smell. Your bodies do
■smell. Sometimes even you amell your bodies;
•dogs will smell you out. How could dogs
•smell you out if your bodies were not giving
out emell? All smell going out of your bodies
proves that small living particles are leaving
your body and going out of it. These small
living particles go out of your bodies and enter
your bodies from the bodies of others. There
you are all one. Oh, we have all of us the
■same body. Feel that smell. We have all of us
one physical body in that sense. One man is
■sick, you go to him and the very room smells

•THB SrOOMBEHOOD OF MA'*. ' ^ 201

oiE iis' sickness. One ihan is stiffering froin a
•contagious disease— cholera, smallpox or
plague. How is it that other people catch the
■contagion? The only reason is that the small
particles that are coming out of the body of
the sick enter your body. Does it not show
that the particles which come out of the bodies
of the sick stick to our bodies? Thus we catch
■contagion and feel sick. One man is suffering
from cold, another who remains with him,
provided he is a man of very fine nature, will
catch cold. One person is suffering from
consumption, .Another catches that disease.
How could that be, if the living particles
which form your brother’s body, did not come
out of their bodies and form your bodies? It
■shows that all of you are one. Even our phy-
sical bodies are one, not to say anything of the
Atman. Well, this leads Rama to a strange
conclusion. If a man falls sickj what is
the main significance of his sickness, the main
responsibility connected with it? He is sick,
be is suffering himself, that is true, Why?
Because of his ignorance, because it brings
Ebout our sickness. .He suffers himself, but

202 IN WOODS OF aOD-RBALiZATION.

he is responsible for his siphness to the whole-
world. He is sick and through his diseased
body. he is unconsciously sending forth germs-
of disease. I have no business to fall sick not
only because of my pain, bpt because of being
responsible to the whole world for the sickness-
of this body. You have no right to fall sick.
You are responsible to the whole world for
your sickness, your sick body is making the-
whole world sick, it is creating those mala-
rious germs. Thus everybody should be very
careful. Sickness is not only a physical dis-
ease but a moral disease as well. You have-
to be on your guard then to keep your bodies-
well and strong. When you are eating or
drinking anything, then be cautious, not in
the name of your own bodily personal comfort,
but in the name of the good of the whole
world. Do not eat too much, do not drink
too much, be very cautious.

Well again, what is the duty of those who
are healthy towards the sick ? Those who are
healthy have to attend to the sick, not on
the grouud of doing a favour or conferring a-
boon, but because of the whole world. For

THE BROTHBEHOOD OE MAN. 203>

the gopd of the whole world, in the nanoe of
Humanity and Truth, in the name of tTniver:
sal Brotherhood, in the name of your own
good, you have to nurse the sick. It is no
benevolence to the sick, it is your duty tO'
Humanity to nurse the sick and to try to help
out. You see then that our physical bodies
which appear to be so different, are suffering
for one another. On the physical plane we
are brothers, united by the most holy bondS'
of common flesh and blood. Physicians prove’
that after every seven years the body of a
man is entirely changed. Every particle of
the body is replaced by new particles. That
also tells you that these particles which are
changing, these bodies which are in continual
flux, we have no right to look upon as sxclusi-
vely mine or thine. I have no right to call
this body mine and that body thine. This-
body is changing every moment, and that
which I call mine at this moment does not re-
main there. What is it that I call mine? Severn
years ago what is now the body of Rama was-
the body of somebody else. That which was-
the body of Rama fourteen years ago, to whom

IN' WOblis' or doD-EBALIZATlON.

does it belong now? To many people. So this
body which you are calling yours belongs
to each and all. Peel that please. Even on
the physical plane you are all one.

We come now to the mental plane. Your
hairs grow and the blood flows in your veins.
Just mark. What is ib that makes yoiir hair
grow? Is not that the same power which
makes the hair on your fellow- man grow ?
Could you conceive any difference? What is
it that makes the blood flow in the veins? Is
ib not the same power that makes the blood
flov in the veins of each and all ? What is
it that makes the food get digested in your
stomach ? Is it not the same power whicji
makes the food get digested in the stomach
of each and all ? Is it not one and the same
power? Just keep this truth before your mind,
and feel it for a Sfcond. Oh, wonder of won-
ders, what am I ? Am I not the same power
which makes the hair grow and the food get
digested arid the blood flow in the veins? If I
am the same power, then I am undivided, one,
present in the bodies of each and all. I am
the one iudi visible, undefinables, indestructible-

JTHp BIIOTHSJIIHPQD OE MAN. 2p&.-

power governing and controlling all these
bodies. Feel that please. This is on the mental
plane. Yon are all one. You are all one, no
difference. Feel that please. Why grieve
when this one body which you call yours
starves? All the bodies that are well-fed are
also yours. Why feel miserable and unhappy
when this particular body which you call yours
falls sick? All those that are healthy are you.
Feel this truth, feel this truth. What is your
duty towards others? When other people fall
sick bring them up to you, just as you would
have attended to the wounds of this particular
body, attend to those wounds as if they were
yours. Your duty towards others will be to
raise them up, feel for them, sympathise with
them. But your duty will be to your own
body to keep yourself cheerful and happy
under all circumstances. Avoid all worry
and botheration.

We come now to the psychological plane,
the plane of feeling. On the plane of feeling-
also you are all one. On the Psychological
plane you are all oue. This is a truth, a fact,,
realize it. There is a lyre, or say, a stringed

■:S06 IN WOODS 01* OOD-RBALJZATION.

instrument well adjusted, well fitted, end there
is another stringed instrument placed oppo
site to it, both of them being fitting exactly
alike. When you begin to play upon a string,
a similar note comes out from the opposite
instrument. When you strike a chord on the
one instrument, a similar chord on the oppo-
'site instrument begins to vibrate. Why is
that? Because the vibrations which give us
the snuiicl fiorn one iiietruinent are present
around the other instrument. You begin to
feel 'somethidg, your neighbour is touched
immedintely. Ifi dramatic performances and.
in theati ioal places, the actors put on all kinds
of feelings. Their feelings gre not sincere,
they weep on one side and begin to laugh on
the other. Their feelings are not sincere, and
yet it 18 seen that wliea the best performer
begins to cry, all the audience, all the spec-
tators, are moved to tears. Why is that ?
One lyre or stringed instrumentis struck, and
all the instruments of your minds and feelings
are struck immediately. That were impos-
sible if all of you nad not the same minds if
all your feelings or minds or the psychological

207

■THE BROTHBBHOOD OF MM.'-'

tieings of man were not related to each other
as brothers, as one. If jour minds were not
related to each other the same way as the
■different waves are rela4;ed to each other, if
your minds were not ripples and waves in the
flame ocean, this fellow-feeling would be im-
possible. Science says that if one body is to act
upon another body, there must be oonlinuity
between the two, no force can act breaking
the law of continuity. Here is this solid, rigid
■desk or table, move one point of it, the whole
moves, because this point is rigidly connected
with the other points. Every force, in order
that it may act, must act in a continuous
action. Here the feelings of one man are
transmitted tq another man. This would be
impossible if the heart of one man were not
conn^ cted with the heart of another man by a
continuous medium, so to say. Taus if all
your hearts were not connected with each
other continuously, rigidly, the feelings of
one mai,a could never piss on to another.
This is a stern fact. Dou’t you see that
the fact of the feelings of one man passing
•onto another compels you to the cohcluaioh

2|08 IN;WOOBS 01 GOD-BBALIZATION.

that all your minds are connected with each
other, as one body, so to say, there is-
solidarity of thought and feeling? Rama has-
often noticed that when he laughs in the
lecture, everybody laughs. It is also seen
that v^hen a man begins to cry, other people’s '
minds begin to get mellov, tender. Here is-
one man singing, those that are round about
him also feel the vibrations, Rama has also
seen that when one man begins to sing, other
people begin to sing. That is a fact. How
could this be, if all your feelings or minds
were not one ? Just notice this please. How
do we learn things ? We learn things from
our friends, from other people. How could
a teacher teach you anything if the teacher
amd the taught had not same mind ; if
there were no brotherhood on the mental
plane? Here is a mind directly communi-
cating with another, the knowledge of the
teacher becomes the knowledge of the pupil,
how could that be, if the two minds were not
connected directly? And you know again
this is a matter of experience that when yon
really feel for another friend, and entertain

THE BROTHEEHOOD OF MAN. SOD’

feelinga of love, kindness, benevolence,
feelings of appreciation for one man, the
other man is bound to feel the vibration at
distances of thousands of miles. Rama has
tried the truth of this fact, and every day
Rama tries that. Thousands and thousands
of miles make no difference. Does it not
show that all your minds are of the same
plane, are intimately connected ? On the
mental plane you are brothers.

How are culprits and criminals produced
in this world ? One man comes and wounds
your feelings, but that man is very strong,,
too strong for you. You send out against
him a thought of hatred, but you cann,ot.
carry that thought of hatred into effect.
The same strong fellow wounds the feelings
of another mild man, that second mild man
resents it, sends out evil thoughts but cannot
execute those thoughts in his own person.
The strong fellow hurts the feelings of a
third body, the third body is also poor and can
inflict no direct injury upon the culprit, and
so on, say twenty, fifty, or hundred men
suffer from one man, until there comes a timh

*210 IN WdODS OE GOD-EBALiZATION.

. ?rhea this strong fellow approaches a very, very
strong man, a match for him. This fellow being
insulted very slightly by the original culprit
gets exasperated and enraged to such a degree
that he does not consider at all the weight of
insult ; he does not consider whether the in-
sult is very slight or very strong ; he jumps
to his feet and takes into his hands a gun and
■shoots him. There the original culprit is
shot, this second fellow is taken by the police
as a criminal and thie matter is brought before
the magistrate. The magistrate begins to
investigate the matter. He is surprised to
find the wrath quite out of proportion to
the insult inflicted upon him. The insult i
was very slight, but the wrath evoked in this
•second criminal was awful, The magistrate (
is surprised ; the newspapers take up the |
matter. Here was a touchy fellow, here was »
a very vicious fellow, a very slight insult pro-
voked him to such a tremendous wrong that
he committed homicide. Do not such cases
happen every day? The magistrate and the
newspaper cannot explain why such awful t
wrath was provoked by such a small insult. \

THE BROTHHEHOOD OF MAN.

211

fi'

r The Vedanta explains it. The Vedanta says

: that there was on the mental plane a joint

: stooi company. You know that joint stock

I companies have many shareholders and one

I man is the boss or manager. Thus when the

I original culprit provokes your feelings, you

^ send forth thoughts of animosity and hostility

‘ against that man, and there you contributed

I your quota, your share of wrath against the

\ man. When the second person was insulted,

I the second person contributed his share, and

I when the third fellow was insulted, he gave

I his share. So the fourth, fifth or sixth, and

I so on, until there came a time when all that

'l was necessary to start business, you know

I business cannot by started unless you get

i some shares paid up, when a sufficient number

I of shares were paid up^ there appeared the

I boss, the strong man, and when this strong

man was insulted, by a law of spiritual
affinity, the wrath sent forth by the fiirst,
■second, third, fourth, and twenty and hundred
persoes, all these wraths were at once drawn
to this boss, attracted, called forth, and col-
lect in the person of the man who dealt out

212 IN WOODS OP GOD-BEALIZATION.

the final death blow, who shot the original
culprit and himself became a State criminal.

The Grovernment or State will punish this
boss only, but in the eyes of God or in the
sight of Divinity or Truth all of you are
shareholders, all of you are murderers. You
are also murderers. You who sent forth thoug-
hts of animosity or hatred are to be blamed
just as much as the man who committed the
murder is to be blamed. Thus says Christ that
it won’t do simplj to abstain from murder but
you will have to abstain from sending forth
any thoughts of hatred. He who hates his
fellow is just as much a murderer as the man
who commits actual murder. Why ? While
this explains why people who commit mur-
ders are often times exasperated quite out of
proportion to the insult, the insult was very
slight, but the exasperation and wrath are
tremendous, there you see that it is not the
personal wrath only that is provoked, it is'
the wrath of your brothers also that comes up
to you and takes hold of you, and you become
mad, you become possessed by the wrath of
your fellows who have been slightly insulted f

THE BBOTHBEHOOD OB MAN.

213

by the culprit. Just as a mania poaseseed
by a demon, they say, as a man is possessed
by a ghost, so you become possessed by anger
towards your fellow man, and being under
that possession you are exasperated, intoxi
cited, and in that state you deal out the
death blow, and people begin to wonder why
this wrath provoked was quite out of propor-
tion to the insult. This is the way your
murderers are produced. Read the history
of the world and you will fiud that ■ after a
reign of terror all the people wanted a man
who might carry matters with an iron hand,
who might keep the mob under control. Each
wanted to control the mob, but none of them
had the power to do it. Now the desire on
the part of each and all was to get somebody
who would control the revolting people and
it took shape in the body of Napolean.
Napolean comes up just when the times need
him and he has the power of thousands, nay
millions. Why do heroes possess the power of
millions ? An army came to capture Napolean
and he, single-handed, went straight up to
them and said ‘*avamf' and they stopped.

214 IN WOODS OF GOD-RBALlZi4.TION.

Here is one man hushing into silence thou-
sands who came to capture him. The people
are astonished to hear such facts. Vedanta
explains it. Vedanta says that in reality, the
power, the thoughts of thousands are accu-
mulated in that one man, as a matter of fact
the thoughts of thousaads are in thet man.
Thus Napoleon has no right, no hero has any
right to entertain any thoughts of self-aggran-
disement. Hero ! If you possess the power
of millions you are millons. It is the millions
whose thoughts are working in your body.
Where is your specially bred Divine person ?
It is the millions that are working in your-
selves. Then you see again Shakespeare, a
great dramatist. No Shakespeare is needed
in these days. It was in those times that,
they wanted a Shakespeare and Shakespeare
came. Those were the stage-going days, those
were the days when all the people had a
mania for the stage. Those were the days
which wanted dramatists, which wanted plays.
The people wanted them and it was the
people’s minds and thoughts that appeared as
Shakespeare. You or Shakespeare or any

• THE BROTHBKHOOD OP MAN, 215-.

other great man does not appear alone. Along
with Shakespeare : we have a whole galaxy
of bright persons, geniuses, philosophers, —
Marlow, Beaumont, and Fletcher and what^
not,— and we have before us a whole reign
of literature of the same sort. Here the oir-
oumstanoes, the times of the people send
forth thoughts, thoughts in that direction,
and all these thoughts by a law of chemical
affinity assemble in one body and there you
have your Shakespeare. Thus you see that
your silver-tongued Shakespeare and your
speakers who can keep in awe big audiences,
one man who can control thousands, one
general whose word becomes law unto
thousands, millions, one man who can bring
energy and action into millions and millions,
how could this be produced if the thoughts of
millions could not collect or accumulate
into different bodies? There you see that Sha-
kespeare and Napoleon are your own crea-
tions. Your emotions and your thoughts
become their emotions and their thoughts.
These are historical facts, and we also qbserve
them every day all around us. Thus upon the.

216 IN WOODS OF GOD-EBALIZATION.

psychological plane you are all one.

How were the Crusades caused ? One man
lelt deeply about the state of Jerusalem. He
<;ame back to Europe and preached to the
Europeans about the condition of Jerusalem.
He preached, wept and cried. One man felt
all this, and the people got the same feelings,
the feelings of one became the feelings of
others. All of them set up in arms against
the Turks, the Muhammedans. Thus Were
the Crusades caused. How was your War of
Independence caused ? The same way. One
•man, the President of the first Congress in
America, drew out his sword when the people
■did not agree with him. He drew out his
•sword from the scabbard and said, “I for one
am for war, war, war.” And all the people
had to catch that word. The same Congress
fellows who were agaanst war and against him,
had to follow him. There you see that if your
hearts and minds be not one, how could such
marvellous actions be performed? One we
•are. Peel this oneness.

We come now to another plane. You see
that in your deep sleep state, all of you are

THE BEOTHIEHOOD OB MAN. ^17

one. Sleep is a great leveller. No difference
is left in the deep sleep state, the king and
the poor fellow, one sleeping on those velvet
•cushions, covered by those magnificent sheets,
the king and the poor beggar lying down in
the streets are in the same state. Consider
both of them in the deep sleep state. Where
is the difference ? Both are one and the
■same. In your deep sleep state you are one,
in your wakeful state your bodies are all one;
and your minds and feelings which live in
this dreamland, are all one. Now we come
to consider the real Atman, the true reality.
■Oh, the one Atman, the true reality, the
real Self. There is no room for language
or any expression of difference. There even
the word ‘wave’ or ,tipple’. cannot apply, there
you are all one. Ton will say, no, my son is
mine, but this fellow is not mine. You are
mistaken if you think that.- It is not. Those
•whom you call as different from you are just
as much yours as your son is. How many
times were you connected with them in your
past 'births as brothers, sons or daughters,
or fathers ? Do you know that ? The same

218 IN WOODS OP GOD-KBALIZATION.

person who is now your enemy may have'
been your father or your Son in the past birth.
That man who is your father in this birth
may not be your father in your next birth..
In your next birth you will be born of some
different parents. Your feelings and sympa-
thies are continually changing and so yohr
relatives and friends, sisters and brothers are-
also continually changing. Does it not hap-
pen that a man who is born under the same
roof with certain girls and boys, passes all
his life apart froth them, never sees them'
again in his life, and does it not happen that
a man born in this country passes all his life
in other countries ? The reason is that the-
people who were born in other countries, hap-
pen to be his spiritual relatives. There you
see that you ought not to confine your broth-
erhood only to those whom you call your
sisters and brothers, wives or husbands. All,
all, each and all are your own Self. Realize-
that. ^ Science proves it.

Row Rama is going to suna up. Science
shows that just as this particular body which
you call yourself is one ; the toes of the feet

THE BEOTHBEHOOD OE MAN. 219'

are crnnected with the heel, and that is
connected with other parts of the body, and
there is the law of continuity running through
all the particles of your body, and your body
is one, indivisible whole and on that ground
you see that it is only one power, the Atman,
which fills the head as well as the feet. The
same Self pervades the feet and the hands..
You see that. Now Science proves that
different objects in this Universe are so
related to each other that if by the side of
the most undeveloped protoplasm, we place
a higher form of protoplasm and next to that
we place the next higher form, and so on,
and if we could arrange everything in this
Universe in the right order, we would find a
continuity running through every object in
this Universe. We- find the whole world held
up by this most inviolable continuity. That
being the case, the whole Universe is a single,
indivisble body. Now, as in the case of one
whole body you are forced to believe one Self
pervading the eare as well as the feet, so in
this whole Universe, which is a single conti-
nuous body, you will have to believe one Self

•220 m WOODS of ood-ebalization.

•or Atman filling or pervading the minutest
microbe as well, as the highest angel. Thus
the Self or Atman of the highest angel is the
isame as the Self or Atman of the most insig-
nificant worm. There from the stand-point
of the Atman you are all one.

Now, reasons or arguments to establish
the Brotherhood of man have been laid before
you to some extent, Now will Kama lay
.stress upon the practical application of this
truth. You may not. accept it intellectually,
but moral laws will force this truth upon
you. You will have to live this truth in
practice or die. There is no other way.
Here is the hand. Once it became selfish
and wanted to violate the law of brotherhood
or unity and, began to reason this way —
“Hear am I, I work all day, but all the
benefit of my work is reaped by the stomach,
or other parts of the body, I do not eat
anything. 1 should not allow the teeth or
mouth to reap all the advantage, I will have
every thing myself.” The hand, after adva-
ncing this argument, became willing to carry
it into effect. The food that was served on

THE BROTHBEHOOD OB MAN. 221

the table — milk, meat, all sorts of things,
fruit, vegetables, — all those things, the hand
must now himself eat; the hand must get
the benefit of it himself. The hand took a
pin, made a hole and poured that milk into-
it, injected that milk, so that the mouth'
would not get the benefit- The hand made
itself sick, it could not be benefited by it.’There
was one other way. In order to make itself
fat the hand wanted to take honey, and-
wherefrom does it come ? From the bee. So
the hand took the bee and made it sting it.
The hand got so much honey; it got the life
of the bee into it, you know the bee dies after-
it stings; The hand became very fat all the
honey was in the hand. Oh, but this made
the hand bitter and painful, it tortured the-
hand. When the hand had Buffered, and suf-
fered, after a while it came to its senses. The
hand said “All that I earn must not go to my-
self alone. All that I earn must go into the
stomach and there it must be used by the
blood, by the hands and feet, by every organ
of the body, and then and then alone can I,,
the hand, be profited : there is no other way.

•222 m WOODS OI GOD-REALIZATION.

Then and then alone can the hand be profited.
Now the hand was forced to believe that the
self of the hand was not confined within this
small area. The self of the hand will be
profited when the self of the whole body is
•profited ; the self of the hand will be profited
when the self of the eyes is profited. The
self ol the hand is the same as the self of the
eyes, and the self of the ears and the self of
the whole body. So try to be selfish in the
same way as the hand did, and you will suf-
fer the consequences, you will suffer the same
way as the poor hand did by trying to ex-
ecute has selfishness. The Divine law cannot
allow you to Separate yourself from your own
kind. The most sacred truth is violated when
■you consider yourself not one with your fellow-
men, The merchants who do not look upon
the interests of their customers as their own,
or the shopkeepers who do not regard, the
interests of their customers as identical with
their own, are shunned and avoided by the
people and ruin themselves. In your life
you will have to realize this, then and then
alone will you prosper. 0 hand, your Self is

THE BEOTHBRHOOD OS' MAN.

223

•the Self of the whole Universe, your Self is
the Self of the eyes and the feet and the teeth
and every other part- of the body. Feel that,
realize that. If you want to keep yourself
above misery and make yourself happy,
realize and feel this oneness with each and
all. Your practice will show, your own
■experience will prove that when you feel and
realize the. unity, when you concentrate your
mind upon this truth, everybody around
you is bound to come up to your help the
same way as the hand comes up to help this
part, when this part is itching or suffering.
Here you feel an itching sensation, the hand
immediately comes up there. Similarly if
you realize that the Self, the Atman, or the
true nature of your self is the same as the
Self or Atman of your fellow who is related
to you as your true Self when you are in
need, your fellows will immediately come
to you and aid you. This is a matter of experi-
-ence, practice and is an experimental fact.
OM! OM!! OM!!!

Hints to Realimtion Ro_ II

God is represented in some other aspects'
now. In a wide, wide ocean of milk which
covers the whole universe, a beautiful crawl-
ing^ snake or dragon forms a soft bed with
some of the folds of its body for a cushion. It.
has a thousand heads serving as an umbrella.
Upon such an ocean lies a most beautiful,,
lovely Divinity who is the consort of this-
God, She has a transparent body, eyes half
closed and lips smiling. She is softly rubbing
the feet of this God. This lovely figure is
sitting upon a beautiful, magnificent Lotus,,
and sitting upon that'8h(i,i8 rubbing his feet
and kneading him. The eyes of the two are
tneeting, each is looking into the eyes of the
other. Now what does this consort represent ?
She represents Di-vinity, 'Wisdom, Bliss, and
Happiness, That is his own glory. This
means that the free soul looks into his own
glory all the time and that soul is free when
the world is all drowned for him. Away from

:226

IN WOODS OP GOD-EEALIZATION.

all relations and connections, having snapped
all ties, he has nothing to do with the world.

The Ocean means Infinity, And why is
this ocean said to represent milk ? Milk has
three attributes. It is light, then it is white
which means Bliss, it is also invigorating,
•which means Power. Consequently the ocean
of milk represents Infinite Light, Infioite
Bliss, and Infinite Power. In this the two rest.
Now what does the snake mean? The
aerpent means one that survives -everything.
When the female snake gives birth to its
hundred eggs, she begins to eat up the eggs
that she has spawned. Everything dies away,
the one thing remains. In the ocean of bliss,
knowledge and pf wer, the Immortal One re-
mains. Both are imtheir own glory, perfect-
ly happy, calm, and peaceful. OM !

Rama brings to your special attention two
important points : —

1. — Denial of little Self.

2. — Positive assertion of Real Self.
First'. — Denial, according to the Vedanta,

is perfect relaxation, relief, rest, renunciation.
Whenever you can spare time, just throw

HINTS TO' EEALIZATION NO. 11. 227

■down your body on the chair or bedstead, as
if you never carried that burden or weight
and had nothing to do with it aud it were
quite as nauch a stranger to you as any piece
of rock, iiet the body rest for a while like a
dead carcass, altogether unsupported by your
strained will or thought so that there is no
tension. Give up all attachment and clinging
to the body. Let the mind be relaxed of all
caie and anxiety for the body or anything.
Give up and deny all desire or ambitiou.
This is denial or relaxation^

Second : — Godhead. ; Make God’s will your
own. Defend His purpose as it were your
purpose whether for weal or for woe, and
according to the trend of thought laid down
in the lecture on ‘‘Realization/’ feel yourself
above the body and its environment, above
the mind and its motives, above thought of
success or fear. Feel yourself to be the all-
pervading power supreme, the Sun of Suns*,
above causation, above phenomena, and one
with all the mighty worlds, the all-bliss, the
free Rama. Chant OM and sing OM to any
tune or tunes that naturally and spontane-

228 IN WOODS Of GOD-RBlA.LIZA.TION.

ouely occur to you. Feel that you are al}
happiness, happiness, happiness. Thus will
all causes of complaints and maladies leave
your presence of themselves. The world and
your surroundings are exactly what you
think them to. be. Let not the world lay
heavy upon your heart. Day and night
meditate upon the truth that all the public
opinion and society of the world is simply
your own idea and that you are the real
power whose breath or mere shadow the
whole world is. The reason why you do not
attain the height of your aim is that you are
more courteous and polite to the fickle, un-
settled, hazy judgment of others than to your
own near neighbour, the Real Self supreme.
Rama says live on your own account not for
the opinions of others. Be free. Try to please
the one Lord, the Self, the one without a
second, the real husband, master, your own
inner God. You will not in any case be able
to sitisfy the many, the public, the majority
and you are under no obligations to satisfy
the hydra- head mob. Do you owe the public
anything ? Are you under any kind of debt

229

HINTS TO EBALIZATION NO. JL

to the people ? No, not at all. You are your
own architect. Sing to yourself as if you
were all alone and no listener were by. When
your own Self is pleased, the public must be
satisfied. That is Law, What is the use of
living unnatural lives for others ?

A prince in his childhood was playing
hide-and-seek with the children of noblemen.
He had much ado to find the boys. A by-
stander remarked, “What is the use of mak-
ing so much fuss to discover the playfellows
who could be collected immediately if he ex-
ercised his princely authority to order them?”
The answer to such a question is that in that
case the play would lose its relish. There
would remain no interest in the game. Just
■so, according to Rama, in reality you are the
■supreme ruler and all-knowing omniscient
divinity but as you have in fun begun the
search for your own subjects (all sorts of ideas
and so-called knowledge) in the great hide-
and-seek labyrinth of the world, it would not
be fair play to give up the trial of thought
and exercise in the game the authority which
oheckmatef the whole play. In the plane-

230 IN WOODS 01 GOD HBALlZATIOlsr,

where the past, presQpti and future and the-
thousauds of Suns and stars become your
own self, and are mere ripples and eddies in
the ocean of your knowledge, how could you
C3,re for the Law Examinations and worldly
success? If you wanlj to possess the Divine
clairvoyance, you haye to give up or rise
above the very plane, of senses from which
you sought clairvoyance.

A net was spread to catch fish. The fish on
falling into the net carried it off by their
stupendous strength. Do not counsel God
how to behave j do not dictate your will tO'
Him, just, resign yourself to Him, abandon
the little self-, 'renounce spurious desires and
thus you will make your body and mind full
of light and a perfect instrument of the reve-
lation of divinity. All true knowledge and
education worth the name comes from within,
and not from books or extraneous minds..
Men of genius, original workers in the field
of investigation make their discoveries and
investigations only when.they were merged
into thought absolute, far above the plane of
senses, far, far .above yearning, or. hurrying of

. EXISTS -TO RBALIZATIOE NOi II.:

231: •

any sort, making their mentality: and personf
ality freeof any tendeecy to seltiehness. They
were looking through a transparent mirror
or glass and the light of knowledge shone-
through them, they shed light on books, illu-
mined libraries and books, and libraries could'
not enlighten them This is work. By work
Rama never means plodding drudgery. In
the Vedanta work always means harmonious
vibrations with the Fteal Self and attunement.
with the universe. This unselfish union with
the one Reality, which is real work according-
to the Vedanta, is oftentimes labelled and
branded as no work or idleness by the igno-
rant. Please read the “Secret of Success”'
once more thoroughly.* Again even a most
laborious uudertaking, pursued iu the spirit
of the Vedanta, is found to be all play and no
drudgery or burden.* Thus that which is
called the highest work frond one stand-point
is no work at all from another, according to
the teaching of the Vedanta.

■ There are two pictures of God given in
the Hindu mythology. Every religion ought

* (See Volume II of fhis series— ltd.)

■232 I3Sr WOODS of god-rbalization.

to have three phases, one is philosophy, the
other is ritual, and the third is mythology;
Philosophy is for the learned ; ritual is for
the outward body, for the children ; and my-
thology is for the thinker. The three have
to go hand in hand. If any one lags behind,
then that religion cannot stand. It is because
of these three being in perfect harmony in
the Hindu Scriptures that the Hindu religion
is still the religion of 300,000,000 people. Any
veligion that lacks one of these cannot be the
real religion. In the Hindu religion all these
three are in a perfect state. Procn the Hindu
Mythology Rama will tell you about the per-
. feet man or Divinity which is continually
held in mind.

There are two phases of God, two sides of
Divinity shown in the Hindu Scriptures, One
is a white, grand, majestic, beautiful young
man, a glorious figure, sitting on the heights
of the Himalayas, lost in meditation and con-
templation, eyes closed, insensible to the
world, a picture of ecatacy itself. Away from
troubles and turmoils, exempt from all an-
x;i6ty and care. Free, free. A being to whom

HINTS TO EEALIZA.TION NO. II. 233

'the world never existed. This is one picture
of God. This picture is of contemplation. A
■free, emancipated soul. The white is sj mbol
of the Himalayas ; the mind at rest, peace,
peace.

Along with it there is the consort of that
God, who is represented as rose colour from
head to foot. She is sitting on the knee of
this God and goes on grinding vegetables and
■other fermented juices all the time for his
sake. God opens his eyes and immediately his
(Consort holds to his lips a Cup full of the
intoxicating juice she has prepared for him,
in order that he may fall back into his state
of reverie again. She then puts questions to
him concerning the whole universe and he
•explains them to her. She is the daughter
■of a king, but gave up all her beautiful things
in order to be near this God. That God is
called Shiva, his consort is called Girija.

OM! OM!! OM!J!

Hints to Tiealisation- No. III.

You see the demands of life and the
different claims on your physical and mental
powers are likely to keep you all the time
strained and in tension. If you allow these
outside circumstances to keep you all the
time strained and in tension, you are makicg^
an early grave with your own hands and
your own muscles.

How - to avoid it and how to take some
rest ? Rama does not recommend the shirk-
ing of wort or the giving up of daily pursuits.
Rama never advises that. Still he advisee
you to cultivate a very useful habit, a habit
which will keep you all the time clear of one-
rous and trying tasks. This advice is nothing
less than Vedantic renunciation. You have
to keep yourself all the time upon the rock of
renunciation, and taking your stand firmly
upon that vantage ground, giving yourself
up entirely to any work that presents itself

HINTS TO EBALIZmON NO. III. 285

before you. You will not. be tired, you will be
equal to the task.

To explain further, ' while at work, take-
short intervals of rest and devote those short
intervals of a minute or so to the thought'
that the body is nothing, you never had any-
thing to do with it. You are simply a witness,,
you. have nothing to do with the consequen-
ces or the results of its actions. While con-
templating in chat way, you may close your
eyes, relax your muscles, and, keep the body
perfectly at, ease, unburden yourself of all
thought. The more you succeed in taking off
the burden of thought from your shoulders,
the stronger you will feel.

Nerves keep up the vitality in the body,,
and thought is also sustained by the nervous
system. The digestive process, the circula-
tion of the blood, the growth of the hair, etc.,,
depend ultimately upon the action of the
nervous system. If your thought is disturbed
and, you are hurried and worried by all sorts-
of thoughts, that means too 'much burden
upon the nerves. This action of , the nerves-
in the shape of strenuous thought-effort,.

•236 m WOODS op ood-eealization.

which is a gaia on one side is a decided loss
on the other. That is the way the vital funo-
•tions of the body suffer. It is like two heavy
burdens placed upon the same horse. In-
crease one burden, then you must decrease
the other. Unload the horse, then the horse
may run without doing any damage to the
weight of the loads. If you want to keep up
your vitality, if you want to preserve your
health, if you want the weight of life to be
borne easily by the horse of the nervous
•system, you ought to make the burden of
thought lighter. Let not perplexing thoughts
and worrying ideas suck the eap of your life.
The secret of perfect health and vigorous
activity lies in keeping your mind always
buoyant and cheerful, never worried, never
hurried, never borne down by any fear,
thought or anxiety.

Thus Vedantic renunciation means throw-
ing off and casting overboard all anxiety,
fear, worry, hurry, and trouble of mind by
continually keeping before your mental vision
the Godhead of your real Self, exempt from all
worldly cares, worries and duties. You have

HINTS TO EBALIZATION NO. HI.

S37

no duties to discharge, you are bound to none,
you are responsible to nobody. You have no
debt to pay, you are bound to none, assert
your individuality against all society and all
nations and everything. That is the Vedantio
renunciation. Society, custom and conven-
tion, laws, rules, regulations, criticisms, and
reviews can never touch your real Self. Feel
that, throw it off, renounce it, that you are*
not. Give this meaning to OM, and chant.
OM on all occasions of fatigue.

OM! OM!! OM!!!

Fragments.

We hunger and thirst like a man without
food, crave a taate of realizition, chant mant-
ram, putting the breath of mind into the flute.
Search out, therefore, in the lake of mind Ihe
innumerable selfish desires and crush them
■one by one— make firm resolutions, and take
solemn vows. When you come out of the
lake, the waters will poison none who drink.
Let cows, women, men drink, — the poison of
revilers will turn to pure water flowing fresh
from God. Seek out points of weakness and
eradicate them. Desires prevent concentra-
tion and until purity and knowledge of Self
•exist, real concentration cannot be had. Era-
dicate first that which brings you down
when trying to concentrate. Be true to your-
self. In this country there are too many
lectures given by others. , You must lec-
ture to yourself. No progress comes without
•this,

i

Before going to bed, sit down and mark

FRAGMENTS..

239

fche faulfeg that have fo be removed. Read
the Bible, the Gita, the Upanishads, or such
writers as Emersoo. If greed or grief be the
fault, with the aid of this reading, reflect why
this fault exist, why it must go, how it hind-
ers you,' — lift up your mind from it, chant
OM. When cjnvinoed that it is subdued,
feel that it is overcome, and think of it no
more. One by one take up these dragon’s
heads, crush, them, lecture on each one to
yourself. Every one must do his own work.
While meditating, hum OH while the voice
chants, and influences of celestial sound go
on, — you will be helped and having formed- a
beautiful influence will come out strengthen-
ed. This is the first process.

The basic cause of all evils is Ignorance
in all its shapes — Ignorance of the true Atma,
-and the desire to identify one’s self with the
body, with pleasures from without, and liabi-
lity to be grieved, injured, afflicted. When
you realize that you are the Infinite Self, how
cau you be subject to passion or grief ? Peo-
ple say that moral laws are not sure like
matheniatioal ones. It is a mistake. In caves

i

240 IN WOODS OF GOD-EEALIZATION.

and remote forests, you will be amazed tO'
find that grass starts up in testimony against
you— walls and trees testify to your condem-
nation. Those who do not know the cause
fight with surroundings ! Here is a Divine'
Law which may be proclaimed as irrefrag-
able, Try to throw dust in God’s eyes and
you will be blinded yourself. Harbour im-
purity aud suffer the consequences. These
laws will be proved one by one,— being pro-
ved, man cannot stoop to sordid desires.

Once you gain mastery over unholy
desires, you may gain concentration for as
long as you please.

Do not starve and do not overfeed ; both
are to be avoided. Fasting often comes natu-
rally, for instincts are to be followed whether
the instinct is to eat or to fast. Slavery is to-
be avoided. Be Master.

. Certain days in India, such as the day of
the full moon, are proved to be conducive to-
concentration. Experiment and you will find
such day helpful specially if you eat nuts^
bread, fruit.

OM ! OM ! ! OM ! ! !

n ' i

f"' f *

D.G.A. 80.

CENTRAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIBRARY

^ NEW DELHI

T^sue Record.

Call No.-

Author—

Rama Tirtha, Swami.

V.

Title — In woods of God-RealizatioA. 1
Vol. 4. f

f

r-.